Sibling Rivalry
by Lucia Geuse
Summary: 3rd Story to Devil's in the Detail's Saga. 7 years later Kiera is 15, Gwen is 13. Bella is teaching Gwen her ghost powers, but she's growing tired of them. Kiera is jealous that her sister has powers, but won't say it. Full Description Inside.
1. Monday

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from the movie Beetlejuice. I do own Kiera, Guinevere (Gwen), John, Bella and any other second character along with the storyline.**

All right, so this is the third book, I suppose, in the Devil's in the Detail's Saga. This story is set 7 years after For Our Children. Kiera is now 15 years old, turning sixteen in a few months and a junior in high school. She has grown up to look like her mother and very devoted to her stuidies. She has grown to love photography, drawing and pretty much anything artistic. Gwen has been taking her ghost lessons from her Aunt Bella every Monday for the past 7 years and has gotten a little bit, but since she is half ghost and she was very young when they started, she hasn't progessed as far as she wanted to. She has also become quite a beauty, looking and acting a lot like Beetlejuice, which you'll see.

Bella is still here, and has not only tutored Gwen in her ghost studies, but also opened up a shop with Lydia and has become very close to her brother and his family. Beetlejuice and Lydia are still dead and look exactly the same as they always have. Lydia has not aged over her late twenties and Beetlejuice has not aged in well, forever ;) This will be an important detail later on.

This is the first chapter of the story and I just want to get everyone reintroduced into the characters on how much they've grown and changed since the time of For Our Children. I think that these characters are so complex that this entire story will both be a continuation, but a new story as well. Old ideas may arise, but new conflicts will be in there as well. I'm slightly nervous about this so please** _review_** this for me. I want to get everyone's feedback. I hope you enjoy!

Keegan Eavan

* * *

Gwen groaned as her alarm clock clicked on, turning it to her favorite top forty radio station. She slipped her hand out from underneath her covers and tapped her the end table next to her bed searching for the snooze button. Just five more minutes she said to herself and rolled over, her white blonde hair twisting in her bed sheets and pillows. There was a quick knock on her door before it opened and her older sister bounced in and hopped on her bed.

"Get up sleepy head, it's time for the first day of school." Kiera said, her black hair falling down around her face.

"Get off Kier, five more minutes." She groaned and put her pillow on top of her head and pressed it against her ear.

"Come on Gwenny quit being such a baby." She said and rolled her eyes hopping off her sister's bed and walking downstairs. She almost ran straight into her father at the bottom of the stairs and had to stop herself gripping the railing on the stairs.

"A little excited Kier?" Beetlejuice said smiling at his fifteen year old girl. She had grown so much, especially in the past year and now in just a few short months she'd be sixteen years old. She looked just like her mother, her long rich black hair tied up in a quick pony tail and her soft green eyes shining. She'd only just begun to wear a hint of make up, browns on her eyes and a brown gloss on her lips. She still wore the necklace that he gave her all those years ago, the silver J with an amethyst stone set in it.

"I'm looking forward to my new classes, I have photography and drawing this year. It'll be fun." She said and smiled up at him. Her father hadn't changed an inch since she was born, still the same bright emerald green eyes and not a hint of grey in his hair, a few smile lines around his face, but that was it. He still looked like he was in his mid thirties and just as strong as ever. She was now taller than her mother who was just a slip of a thing.

"That's nice, you'll do great in both." He said. "Where's Gwen?"

"She's being lazy and sleeping in." Kiera said and rolled her eyes. She turned to walk into the kitchen to get some breakfast. Beetlejuice just shook his head, a smile on his lips as he watched his daughter walk away, her pony tail bouncing from side to side since she had a skip in her step.

Gwen came down a few minutes later tugging on her navy blue sweater vest over her white dress shirt for school. Her blonde hair was still a rat's nest as she yawned widely walking down the stairs.

"Mornin'." She said in her yawn when she saw her father.

"Mornin' Gwen. Sleep well?" He asked and gave his daughter a little hug when she leaned up against him, closing her eyes.

"Uh huh." She said and yawned again. He chuckled and she gave him a sleepy smile. "I don't wanna go to school Dad."

"Don't you think it's a little early to start moaning? It is only the first day." He said and looked down at his youngest. She was a mixture of him, Lydia and his sister Bella. Her white blonde hair was a tangled mess that reminded him of the way he wore his before he met Lydia and her deep navy blue eyes were hazed with sleep. She had grown up to be just as pretty as her mother and aunt and while that made him swell up with pride he also frowned. Both of his girls were extremely pretty, beautiful really, but that meant that he was going to have to deal with boys. He'd already had to deal with a few with Kiera, but she wasn't that interested in dating right now. She had her friends and her hobbies and that was enough. Gwen on the other hand already showed signs of being boy crazy and that made him groan.

"But Dad, since it was summer I had double lessons with Aunt Bella, so it really wasn't like summer." She pouted. He rolled his eyes at her. Ever since she was six years old she'd been having ghost lessons with her aunt to strengthen her power. They had been so weak for the first several years and even now they weren't that strong, but she'd been practicing one a week during the school year and twice a week during the summers to strengthen them up to full ghost powers.

"Yeah, yeah blame it on your lessons, just like every other summer. Go in and get some breakfast with your sister." He said. She groaned and pushed off of him to shuffle into the kitchen.

"Gwenny you look like something the cat dragged in." Lydia said when she saw her youngest daughter shuffle into the kitchen. Lydia hadn't changed in over seven years and still looked like she was in her mid twenties. Her black, shiny not even hinted at by grey and not a single line touched her face. By all rights she should have looked like she was around forty by now, except for the convenient fact that she'd died so many years ago. She had the fresh youthfulness that kept her feeling alive and was now starting to get curious glances.

"Yeah, yeah." Gwen mumbled and was able to snap herself a spoon, but nothing else. Food was still alluding her and that was one of the things she wanted to learn the most. Lydia smiled and poofed her a bowl of cereal and fixed her hair so it was slick and shinny down her back. "Thanks Mom." She said and Lydia just smiled down at her youngest daughter.

"Come on Gwenny, hurry it up." Kiera said finishing her breakfast and grabbing her backpack. "We've got to get to school before it starts."

"Why are you so excited to go to school? That's just weird." Gwen said through her cereal.

"Cause I like school and I want to see some friends before classes start, so get a move on." She said. Gwen just rolled her eyes and finished her breakfast and gave another great yawn before she grabbed her own backpack and headed out the door with her sister, almost bumping into her aunt on the way out.

"Hi girls, have fun at school." Bella said as she walked in.

"Bye Aunt Bella." They both called over their shoulders.

"Gwen," Bella called. Gwen turned to look at her aunt. Bella had been dead for longer than her father and looked like she was twenty. Her long light brown hair was healthy and strong and her soft grey eyes shined at her niece.

"Yeah?"

"Don't forget our lesson tonight."

"You mean we still have to do it tonight, even though it's the first day of school?" Gwen asked, dumfounded.

"Monday's just like always Gwen. I'll expect you at the same time." Bella said. Gwen rolled her eyes and huffed as she turned back to walk with her sister to school.

"It's just not fair. I have school work, plus Aunt Bella makes me study my powers too." Gwen grumbled. Kiera shot a glance at Gwen through the corner of her eye. Her sister had been complaining so much lately and it was starting to get on her nerves. Didn't she realize how lucky she really was? She could do all the things that everyone else had to wait until they were dead to do. All because her dad was a ghost when she was born.

"How is it not fair? You have powers and I don't." She said. Gwen just shrugged at her older sister in reply which irritated Kiera even more. "You can be such a baby sometimes. You've been doing this since you were six Gwenny. You would think that you'd get used to the routine by now."

"I am used to it, I'm just tired of it. It's been seven years and I still barely have anything." Gwen said wrinkling her face up.

"Mom and Dad said that you would be kinda weak because you're only half ghost." Kiera said and shrugged.

"Yeah but, I can only do a few things. I can't even lift myself off of the ground yet." Gwen said in a huff.

"That's why you have your lessons with Aunt Bella."

"Yeah, a lot of good it does me."

"God Gwen, get over yourself." Kiera said and saw a few friends, walking away from her sister to say hello. Gwen stuck her tongue out at her sisters back. What did she know? She's never had to go through doing powers before, who did she think she is?

Gwen loved her Aunt Bella, a lot, but she was a stickler when it came to studying and doing homework. She couldn't understand that Gwen might want to hang out with friends or just chill at home. No, her aunt expected her to be studying all of the time and it was wearing her out.

"Hey Gwen." Melissa said walking over.

"Hey." Gwen said in a frown.

"What's the matter?"

"Oh, my lessons with my aunt are driving me nuts. I have to go over there after school, even though this is the first day of school." She complained.

"I still really don't understand why you still have to take those lessons. I mean you've been taking them forever." Melissa said.

"Ever since I was six." Gwen complained.

"Why don't you just play hooky. I'm sure your aunt would understand." Melissa said. Gwen just looked at her and shook her head. Her aunt, not to mention her mother and father would have a cow if they knew that she'd skipped out on her lessons. They never understood her, never and it wasn't fair.

"Have you noticed that Gwen is acting a little moody lately?" Bella asked Lydia when the girls had left.

"She's thirteen, of course she's going to be moody. That's what teenagers do." Lydia said and shrugged. Bella nodded, but lately having Gwen with her to learn how to control her powers had been down right difficult. Ever since she was eleven she started showing less and less interest in them and didn't seem to care anymore whether she could move something or not. Bella kept telling her that it was going to take a lot of time, but she just didn't want to listen to that any more.

"But Mom was able to master it in a few months, why can't I?" She whined to her aunt last week when Bella repeated her line yet again.

"Because when your mother died, she became a full ghost. She was able to master it because not only was she practicing every single day, she was also practicing for hours on end every day and she was a full grown adult. You're a child, learning how to do this, you are only half ghost and we only practice once a week. Of course it's going to take more time." Bella said feeling like a broken record.

"I am not a child anymore I am a teenager." Gwen shot back. Bella could only sigh and shake her head. She hadn't been around children in so long that when she met Kiera and Gwen for the first time it was an entirely new experience for her.

They had been so adorable when they were younger, ready to please and eager to learn. Kiera was still eager to learn, she could see that in her studies. She went after anything that interested her, much like Bella's mother had been all those years ago. Gwen, on the other hand would rather be laying around or hanging out with friends than doing studies. It reminded her of her brother in so many ways that it almost frightened Bella to see her young niece taking on the bad qualities her brother had and she hadn't seen any of the good ones.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much Bella, like I said she's going into puberty and everything will be either really high or really low with her for a while. We'll all just have to deal with it, she is so much more extreme than her sister." Lydia said and sighed. Kiera had gone through a little bit of trouble when she turned thirteen, but not a lot. Ever since she had her run in with John all those years ago she had been so overwhelmed with guilt about how she treated her parents before then that she kept herself in as much check as she possibly could. Lydia had actually feared that Kiera had been stuffing all of her angry feelings inside of herself, shutting herself down, but Kiera seemed well adjusted and happy. She didn't worry too much about her, but sometimes she did wonder.

Kiera was almost too eager to please her parents sometimes and Lydia had caught her on more than one occasion staying up late into the night studying for her next big test and she always brought home top grades. Gwen had always tried, but not drove herself into the ground with it. She brought home good grades as well, but she didn't worry if she got a B instead of an A and sometimes she brought home a C, which was fine and they didn't push her to get higher grades. Gwen was not only going to school, but had also studied ballet with her sister and she had been doing her ghost studies for the last several years.

"I don't know Lyds, she's acting a lot like B did when he was that age and let me tell you he was a hellion." She said. Lydia laughed at her as they walked out of the house and headed to their shop. Since Bella had decided to stay close to their family she needed a job and Lydia found that Bella had a good eye. They had decided just in the past few years that they would open a photography studio and they'd been fairly successful too.

"That," She said in a laugh. "Is something I believe whole heartedly."


	2. Anger Management

Thanks for the reviews and encouraging start to this story. Right now I want to keep a balance in between Kiera and Gwen so I'm thinking that I will keep them laced together, trying not to tilt towards one or the other. I haven't finished my other story that I'm working on, I just wanted to get this one started.

So here's the second chapter, I hope you enjoy and Review!

Keegan Eavan (Lace)

* * *

Gwen groaned as she walked back home from school. Kiera had ballet practice and since Gwen had dropped out a few years ago, she walked home by herself. Besides, she still had her lessons with her aunt and then homework on top of that. Didn't teachers know that you weren't supposed to have homework on the first day of school? Apparently not. She dragged her feet for as long as possible walking home. She didn't really want to go and practice some more, she just didn't care and dreamed about being able to play hooky with some of her friends, going to the mall and walking around like normal people do. She sighed to herself and shook her head. Who was she kidding? She was never going to be normal, her family was never going to be normal. It wasn't that it was bad to not be, but sometimes she wished with her whole heart that she could tell someone why she couldn't do this or that. Kiera seemed to be all right with keeping everything secret, but Gwen had a hard time keeping her mouth shut and on more than one occasion Kiera had to shut it for her.

"Have a good first day?" Lydia asked when she saw her youngest walk through the door. Gwen just grumbled at her and walked up the stairs. "I'll take that as a no." Lydia said and shook her head.

"I hate school Mom, it sucks." Gwen called from the stairs.

"Well you still have to go and you're aunt is waiting for you so hurry up and get dressed." Lydia called back up. Sometimes Gwen could be so difficult she felt like pulling her hair out. Bella did say that Gwen was acting like Beetlejuice did when he was her age, but somehow she thought that Gwen would be even more difficult than that. She didn't know why she thought that, but she did. Girls were always more complicated than boys were.

Gwen shrugged out of her school uniform and into a pair of jeans and a tee shirt before she sat down at her vanity mirror. She sighed and looked at herself, sticking her tongue out at her reflection. She hadn't had time to put on makeup this morning so her pale face was plain and her deep blue eyes looked sleepy. She wished she could take a nap, but it wasn't meant to be. Slowly her own reflection started to fade away and she began to see another world. Even after so long she still really wasn't sure what she should call it, underworld, afterworld, she just went there. She saw her aunt's old house that she had kept, deep in the woods that reminded her of some creepy fairytale house that she'd read about. She slowly put her hand through the glass and then the rest of herself, landing softly on her feet on the other side.

She looked at the small cottage and grimaced. At first she had loved the idea of coming into the other world to practice her powers, her parents thought that it was safer, no one would be able to tell that she was practicing and she was able to see a place that everyone else didn't get to see for over a hundred years after they died. She liked the fact that she was privileged enough to come to a place not even her perfect sister could see, but now it was just a nuisance and she'd rather be in her room on the phone with Melissa talking about Bobby, who looked so hot in his uniform and even hotter in his regular clothes. She walked up to the cottage and through the door where her aunt was waiting for her in the small living room.

"How was school Gwenny?" Bella asked, smiling at her young niece.

"School is school Aunt Bella. It never changes." She said and shrugged. "What are we going to do today?" She asked and pulled one of the wooden chairs away from the table, sitting on it backwards so she could rest her chin on the back of the chair.

"We'll be practicing trying to get you in the air, since it still seems to be alluding you." Bella said and cleared a large space in the room with just a glance.

"Great, something I haven't been able to do for the past seven years. Do you think I'll be able to do it today just because?" Gwen asked sarcastically.

"Don't get smart young lady. You know just as well as I do that this is one of the most important things a ghost can do." Bella said her tone strict as she narrowed her eyes at her niece. Gwen just rolled her eyes and got up from the chair to stand in the middle of the empty space. She'd always been able to float just a little bit above the ground. For the most part it was only when she was angry and she'd never gotten higher than a foot off of the ground, unless of course, she was angry then she shot straight up. "Now, clear your mind and feel the weight drop away from you." Bella said. She'd been repeating the same line for so long she felt like she could say it in a hundred different languages by now.

"Yeah, yeah I know the drill." Gwen said and closed her eyes. She tried to relax and let everything slip away from her to feel weightless, but something would always creep back in and make her drop back down to the ground. Bella could feel the beginnings of a headache start to form and she rubbed the side of her head.

"Again." She called out and knew that this afternoon was going to be a long one.

Kiera came home still dressed in her ballet leotard under a pair of workout pants and a large tee shirt. She just wanted to come home and take a shower before she started her homework. She was unfortunate enough to get the meanest math teacher who loved to pile on homework, even on the first day of school.

"Kier that you?" Her mother called when she walked through the door.

"Yeah Mom, I just got home." She called back. "I'm going upstairs to take a shower and then I'll start on my homework." She said and started to walk up the stairs.

"Wait a minute." She called and walked into the living room from the kitchen. Kiera paused on the steps of the stairs and waited.

"Yeah?"

"Tristan is upstairs waiting for you. He said that you had a study date this afternoon. Kiera wanted to curl up and cry. She knew she forgot something and now she'd have to deal with Tristan and try to get him to understand pre calculus as well as get her homework done. She sighed and gave a little smile to her mother.

"Thanks Mom." She said and finished walking up the stairs.

Tristan was looking around Kiera's room, it hadn't changed since he'd known her when they were just kids. The dark color on her walls was the same as well as all the creepy photographs that she had on the walls. Some of which she had taken herself and others her mother and aunt had. She had one small photograph of her parents wedding day and a family portrait on her desk. He looked around and quietly opened up Kiera's underwear drawer and shuffled around it. He couldn't help himself even though he felt guilty about doing it. He heard footsteps coming up and quickly closed the door, jumping onto her bed with his books opened up.

Kiera walked into her room to see Tristan on her bed like he always was when he came over. They'd been friends for so long that it was almost natural to see him there.

"Hey, did you have to wait long?" Kiera asked.

"Nah, I just got here a little bit ago." He said and smiled. "I'm glad your dad wasn't home yet cause he scares me every time I come here and wait for you." Kiera just laughed at him and shook her head. Her father couldn't stand it when boys came over for either her or her sister. It didn't matter if Tristan was one of her best friends, he was a guy and therefore her father hated him.

"He's always like that Tris, you know that." She said. "I just got home so do you mind if I take a quick shower before we start to study?" She asked. He shook his head and smiled at her. She'd always been comfortable around Tristan, ever since they were little she treated him like he was her brother which made his stomach churn, but brother was better than nothing he supposed and watched her grab some clothes before walking back out of the door. While he waited for her to return to laid down on her bed, smelling her pillows and looking up at the ceiling. She was always so preoccupied that she never even once thought about him as something other than a friend and he knew it. He had tried to figure out some way to tell her that he was in love with her, but everything he had tried had failed miserably. She was either oblivious to it or downright ignored it and he didn't know if it was on purpose or if she just didn't realize, but in just a few months Kiera would be sixteen and he would have his driver's license. He had to figure out how to make her see that they could be more than just friends without destroying the friendship that they did have.

Beetlejuice walked in the door at the same time that Gwen and Bella walked through came through the mirror. Gwen rolling her eyes at her aunt and Bella wanting to pull her hair out.

"I said I was sorry Aunt Bella. I didn't know that I would shoot up so high." Gwen said and almost ran into her father. "Hi Daddy." She said a wide smile on her face. Beetlejuice smiled at his daughter and then looked at his sister who looked furious.

"Yes you did Gwen, you always shoot up when you get angry and I'm getting tired of having to repair my ceiling when you crash into it." She said and put her hands on her hips. "Hi B." She muttered when she saw her brother.

"Did I miss something?" He asked looking from his sister to his daughter.

"Nah, I just got a little testy and shot through Aunt Bella's roof again. You really should make a new one Aunt Bella." Gwen said turning to look at her aunt. Bella's eyes widened as she looked at her niece.

"Why exactly would I do that Gwen? Every time we try to get you to levitate you get angry and shoot up instead of controlling your emotions that was the lesson from day one. If I were to reinforce my roof then you'd just become even more angry because you'd thump your head against something harder." She said. Gwen rolled her eyes again and walked into the kitchen to see what was for dinner. Bella shook her head and looked at her brother who was smiling at her.

"It isn't funny B. I've been trying to teach her the same things over and over again and she just butts heads with me. I'm getting tired of repeating myself to her every time." She said.

"I know Bell, but she's just a kid and she's got our temper. She'll figure it out sooner or later." He said and shrugged. Bella just shook her head again and looked towards the kitchen where her niece disappeared to.

"I don't know B. Tell Lyds I said hi, but I want to go home and take a long, hot bath." She said. Beetlejuice nodded and watched his sister disappear back to her real world home. Beetlejuice walked into the kitchen where Lydia was leaning against the counter while Gwen was sitting on it and complaining.

"It's just not fair that Aunt Bella makes me do the same things over and over. Can't you tell her to teach me something new?" Gwen asked.

"You've got to learn to master the basics first Babydoll." Lydia told her disgruntled daughter. It wasn't what she wanted to hear, but it was the truth. "You know a little about a lot of things, but you have yet to master any of them and are still a little shaky. One thing that is vitally important is to learn how to control your emotions. By doing that you'll be able to see how everything else begins to unfold."

"What about the story that you told me about when Kier was kidnaped and you and dad had that big fight with the other guy? Weren't you angry then?" Gwen asked. She'd heard the story tons of times from Kiera about when they were little and her parents had turned into lions and fought.

"Anger is one of the most powerful emotions you can ever have. When you are angry, you are dangerous and sometimes that's what you need to be. Most of the time it isn't and that's what you're having problems with."

"Your Mom's right Gwenny. We can't go around all day long doin' that or the whole world would explode." He said and smiled. His daughter didn't smile back and just hopped off the counter to look at her parents.

"Where's Kier?" She asked looking around.

"She and Tristan are up in her room studying." Lydia said.

"What?" Beetlejuice said and had to force himself to stay calm when he saw Gwen's white eyebrow raise up.

"Don't worry Beej, Tristan is harmless." Lydia said.

"He's a boy and boys are not allowed in my daughter's rooms." He said through clenched teeth.

"Controlling temper, yeah good one Dad." Gwen said and walked out of the kitchen a smile on her face.

"Don't start young lady." He said and turned to look at Lydia who was smiling at him.

"You'll have to deal with it sooner or later and so far you've been lucky, but I don't think you've got anything to worry about with Tristan. They're just friends."


	3. Plots and Thoughts

Thanks for the words of encouragement and wanting to hear more.

So Gwen is a brat, but name me one 13 year old who isn't? She sees her sister as the prodical daughter, perfect and wonderful, but there is another side to Kiera which is deep that she doesn't let anyone else see, but you guys will get to! I hope you enjoy and there's more to come, drama is coming because it just wouldn't be a story written by me if I didn't have a little drama ;) Besides with this family in particular, how could you not?

Enjoy and Review,

Lace

* * *

"I just don't like it Babes." Beetlejuice said when Gwen and Kiera had gone off to bed. Tristan had somehow slid past him, avoiding his wrath which made him even more upset. Lydia just giggled at her husband and shook her head.

"Like I said before Beej, Tristan and Kiera are just friends and I don't think you have anything to worry about, but you will have to face the fact that our children are growing up and there will be boys around."

"I don't have to face any fact. In case you hadn't noticed Babes, we're dead and that means our house is haunted. I can make this place so spooky that no one will want to come over." He said and raised his eyebrows.

"You wouldn't do that to your children and you know you wouldn't." Lydia said easily, avoiding his threats. He kept his eyebrows raised, saying nothing to her and she sighed. "Okay, so maybe you would, but it wouldn't be fair to the girls. They need to have their own lives as well Beej."

"What do you think is going to happen when they start to grow up and get older and older? So far we've been really lucky that no one has really noticed that we don't age Babes, but what will happen when Kiera brings home a guy and then decides to get married. Don't you think it's going to look kinda strange when our daughters start to look older than we are?" He asked.

"I know and don't think that I haven't thought about that, but we still can't keep them cooped up because of us. It wouldn't be fair to them. Like I said, I don't think we have to worry about Kiera as much as we do Gwen. She's absolutely boy crazy and we have to figure out what we're going to do about that."

"Great, just what I need a ton of boys starting to hang around the house." He said and flung back on the bed. Lydia just smiled down at her husband, he could be so dramatic sometimes. She wasn't looking forward to the fact that her girls were growing up any more than he was, but unlike him, Lydia had accepted the fact that it was going to happen while Beetlejuice stubbornly clung to the idea that Kiera and Gwen were still just little girls.

Kiera laid on her bed and tried to read the first chapters of her history book, but they were just so boring. Who cared about the Civil War? She certainly didn't. She heard a quick knock on her door before Gwen walked in and hopped on her sister's back looking down at the book.

"You're still doing homework?" She asked.

"Trying to. What do you want?" She asked and pushed her sister off of her.

"Nothin'. Just came in to see what you were up to and to see if you and Tris did anything up here." She said and laid down beside her sister pointing her finger at the pencil Kiera had out and began to twirl it.

"Why would we do anything? He's just a friend Gwen, you know that.' She said and frowned. She hated it when her sister used her powers around her, but she had to swallow it back down.

"Come on Kier, he's head over heels about you." Gwen said and made the pencil go a little faster and a little higher. Kiera snatched the pencil out of the air and slammed it back down to her bed. "What's your problem?" Gwen asked.

"You. He is not head over heels about me. We're just friends and you know that Gwen now quit using your stupid powers around me and go practice or something." Kiera said. Gwen rolled her eyes and got off of her sisters bed.

"You're such a bore Kier. You really do need to get a life outside of homework or you're going to shrivel up and turn to dust." Gwen said and made the pencil whither away.

"Get out!" Kiera snapped and dove for the door, but Gwen was faster and shut it, laughing on the other side. Kiera grabbed another pencil from her desk and gripped it so tightly it almost snapped in her hand. Who exactly did Gwen think she was? Just because she could use powers didn't mean that she should use them around her. Kiera just knew that she did it because Kiera couldn't do anything about it and what about all that nonsense with Tristan? He didn't really like her did he? No, he was just a friend and that's the way close friends acted. Wasn't it?

"Hey Missy?" Gwen asked on the phone.

"Yeah?" Melissa answered.

"I've got an idea." Gwen said when she was back in her own room. She twirled the book that she was supposed to be reading up in the air.

"Why does that statement scare me." Melissa said.

"Shut up and listen. I want to hook Kiera up with someone. She needs to get out more and if she gets out more that means that I can get out more and maybe I can finally start dating Bobby."

"You wish Gwenny, he's all mine."

"Don't even start with that Missy you know he likes me. Now, what's his older brother's name?"

"Derek, he's even hotter if that's possible." Melissa said with a sigh.

"I know, do you think he'd go out with Kiera?"

"I don't know, he's out of high school isn't he? Do you think your sister would agree to it?"

"No, of course not, that's why we have to set it up. I'll talk to Bobby tomorrow and see if he'll talk to his brother." Gwen said. She smiled when she hung up the phone and twirled her book, lifting in the air a few inches. If Kiera started going out on dates that would mean that her Dad would be mad at her and Gwen could sneak out to see Bobby until he cooled off a little bit to let both of them go out. Brothers dating sisters had a nice ring to it and she was sure that Kiera wouldn't mind when she saw Derek for the first time. Sure he was nineteen, almost twenty, but who cared? She could have set it up to have Kiera start dating Tristan, but her mother liked him and that wouldn't work. She needed to have Kiera fall for a bad boy type. Someone both her parents didn't like. She knew it was a little mean, but Kiera was such the perfect child she had to screw up sometime. Gwen was just going to help her along, give her a little push. Kiera would understand, it was so hard being the second born.

"Please Bobby?" Gwen asked, batting her lashes. "Kiera needs to get out and you've seen her. She's pretty, I'm sure your brother wouldn't mind taking her out on a date." Gwen said and smiled at him. Bobby grinned, he had seen Gwen's sister and she was pretty, but she was one of those art people. His brother liked girls who were cheerleader types, kind of like Gwen. She was outgoing and funny, sure she disappeared a little bit, but who cared? Her sister on the other hand was just plain weird sometimes. Kept to herself a lot and had a lot of friends, but they were all the same types, art people who thought they were better than everyone else.

"I don't know Gwen, it would take a lot to get Derek to go out with your sister. He doesn't really like the shy types." He said.

"I know you could get him to do it. This is what I have planned, Kiera and I will just meet you and Derek someplace and grab a bite to eat. I know that Kiera will open up when she sees your brother." She said. She knew she had him when he smiled at her. She hugged him tight and looked back at him, smiling widely. "Perfect so we'll see you on Friday." She said and dashed away before he could say another word. He had wanted to go out with Gwen Juice ever since he met her, but the rumors that floated around her family were something else. Some say they had seen her parents do magic and that they were really witches, others said that her parents really weren't her parents, but aliens because they never aged. People could come up with the weirdest things. He just figured they were jealous because Kiera and Gwen's parents never seemed to get any older and they didn't look like any other suburban couple in town either.

Gwen had almost every planned out, now all she needed to do was get her sister to agree to go out with her. She couldn't tell her that she had dates planned for them or her sister would never agree. She had to come up with something that interested Kiera which meant that it would probably bore Gwen, but that's the way it went. She frowned a bit at that.

They had been so close when they were little, but now it seemed like they were drifting apart from each other. Gwen had her stupid ghost studies to do and she had tons of friends, while Kiera had a few good friends and kept to herself. She knew that Kiera would never admit it, but she was jealous of Gwen's powers. That was something that made her smile, an evil little part of her that liked the fact that she had something that her sister didn't. If she really wanted to be honest having powers was kind of a bore. Since Aunt Bella wouldn't teach her anything new she had to study the same things over and over again.

"What do ya say we take a little vacation Babes, just you and me." Beetlejuice said stretching out on the sofa.

"Like where Beej?" Lydia asked sitting down next to him. Both of the girls were out, Kiera at her ballet lessons and Gwen out with friends. It was a rare thing to have the house all to themselves.

"Wherever you want to go. The girls are old enough to be here, plus if ya want, Bell can stay over, get a few more hours in with Gwen on her studies. We haven't been by ourselves in so long I think we forgot to act like a regular couple." He said and Lydia giggled.

"That sounds like a great idea, we haven't been anywhere in a long time and I think it's time that we did." She laid her head on her husband's shoulder and closed her eyes. "What about Italy?"

"What about it?"

"You want to go there?"

"Eh, it's all right. Course things mighta changed since the last time I was there."

"When were you there?" She asked opening back up her eyes to look at him.

"Around the 1500's."

"Yeah, things might have changed." She said and giggled. "All right, how about someplace tropical?"

"Now your talkin' my language. You in a bikini."

"It would figure. The Virgin Islands?"

"Sure Babes, sounds good to me." He said and winked at her. "We'll leave Friday and have a long weekend."

"Perfect." Lydia said and leaned in to kiss her husband. If her heart was beating it would have skipped a beat every time she kissed him and they had been together for over fifteen years, technically for twenty.

"You're leaving Friday?" Gwen asked after Beetlejuice and Lydia told them of their vacation at dinner. It was too perfect to have their parents away when she had everything planned out.

"Is that a problem?" Beetlejuice asked.

"No, no problem at all. I think it's great that you guys are having a vacation. Besides, Kiera and I can take care of ourselves, we're old enough."

"Uh huh right. You're Aunt will be staying with you for the weekend." Beetlejuice said.

"What? Kiera is almost sixteen and I'm thirteen. We can be by ourselves for one weekend." She said. She loved her aunt, but she was one of the strictest people that she knew and it wasn't fair since she'd heard the stories about how wild she had been. Beetlejuice and Lydia looked at each other and then looked at Kiera who had been quiet the whole time.

"Are you feeling all right Kier?" Beetlejuice asked. Kiera looked up and smiled.

"Yeah, of course. I think that Gwen's right, we can be by ourselves and I'm sure that Aunt Bella could use a break from Gwenny."

"Hey!" Gwen started, but had to shut her mouth. Her sister was on her side and if her parents agreed then she wouldn't have to deal with trying to get past her aunt's eagle eye.

"We'll think about it." Beetlejuice said after a slight shrug from Lydia. Gwen didn't think she could smile any wider, but she did. Kiera just looked at her sister in question, but didn't say anything.

Kiera looked at the pencil that was in front of her and wished with everything she had that she could make it move. It just sat there like any normal pencil would do and she frowned. Her mother was special, her father was special and her sister was special. What was so special about her? Nothing, her frown went deeper. She would have to wait for who knew how long before she would be able to do the things her parents and her sister could do now. It dawned on her that she would be sixteen and her mother hadn't changed since she was seven. She had changed so much she hardly recognized herself and she would continue to change. She felt her stomach drop when she thought about when she was fifty and her mother still looked twenty.

How fair was that? Her whole life seemed to be unfair, but she couldn't let anyone else know that. She thought about her biological father for a brief moment. She had tried to block him out of her memory, but he kept coming back in her dreams and nightmares, never letting her go. She shook her head and went back to her studies. If she kept herself busy then she couldn't think and if she couldn't think then she couldn't feel bad or guilty about what she did so long ago. She tried to get rid of the feeling, her parents loved her and she knew it, but she couldn't help it.

Gwen had never known about the really horrible stuff that went on she only knew that Kiera had been kidnaped and that their parents had rescued her. She hadn't known that her biological father had really been a truly evil person and that Kiera had that in her. She loved her father with a fierceness, but she still felt like there as a tiny hole in her that John lied within her.


	4. Disaster Strikes

Thanks for the reviews guys! It keeps me going!

So I promised drama and I kept my word. This was hard for me to write, but it had to be done, it really did. I have also been working on some pictures of Kiera and Gwen and I think I should be done hopefully tonight and I'll be posting them on Deviant Art. My name on there is DarkbutCute if you want to check them out.

I hope that you enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think.

Lace

* * *

"Be good." Lydia said and hugged Gwen tight to her. 

"Don't worry Mom, we will be." Gwen said in her mother's powerful grip. Lydia looked from Gwen to Kiera and gave a slight nod.

"I'll make sure that everything is all right." Kiera said seeing her mother's look. Beetlejuice laughed and swept his eldest daughter up in a hug and squeezed her until she started squirming.

"I can't breathe Dad." She said and pushed.

"Oh right, I forgot about that." He said and teased her. "You're aunt will check up on you from time to time so don't go thinking you can have any wild parties while we're away. We'll be back sometime Sunday evening." He said and smiled down at Kiera. She smiled back up at him and nodded.

"Well this is it, our babies are growing up." Lydia said and felt a lump grow in her throat. "Aw Mom." Gwen said and rolled her eyes. Beetlejuice put his arm around his wife and they waved as they disappeared for their first vacation without their children.

"Bye." Kiera said when they disappeared and sighed. It really didn't matter that much to her that her parents had gone, she didn't have any plans besides doing homework and practicing her ballet lessons anyway. She had a recital coming up in a month and needed to be perfect since she had slacked a little during the summer.

"So what are we gonna do?" Gwen asked Kiera when their parents vanished. Kiera just shrugged toward her little sister.

"I don't know, I've got some homework and,"

"You're such a bore Kier. Listen, tonight a few friends want to meet up at the pizza place and I want you to come too. There's going to be a lot of people there and some of your friends are going too." Gwen said. It was a lie, but anything to get Kiera to come out would have to work.

"Who?" Kiera asked.

"I don't know exactly who is going to be there, like I said it's going to be a lot of people." Gwen said starting to sweat a bit. Kiera eyed her sister, but going for some pizza didn't sound like such a bad idea. It would be nice to get out of the house for a little bit and take a break from being cooped up.

"All right."

"Great." Gwen said, relief flooding her. "Make sure you get all pretty and we'll leave at five." Gwen said and started to walk up the stairs.

"Why do I have to get all pretty?" Kiera asked. Gwen just turned and smiled at her sister.

"Cause you are pretty and I want everyone to see." Gwen said.

"Get real Gwen, what's up?" Kiera said arching an eyebrow. Gwen's eyes nearly crossed, Kiera looked so much like their mother when she did that.

"All right, because I'm dressing up and I want to look the best so I want you to dress up too." Gwen said, it was partly true so that should work. Kiera felt like her little sister was up to something, but she just couldn't figure out what it was. Kiera looked in her closet and chose a simple black top and jean skirt and left her hair down thinking it should be simple enough, but dressed up enough for Gwen, she slipped on a pair of flip flops and walked out the door.

"Oh no way Kier, you've got to do better than that." Gwen said and pushed her back into her bedroom. She rummaged in her sister's closet and found a dark purple dress with a empire waist that stopped at her mid thighs.

"Yeah right Gwen, like I'm gonna wear that." Kiera said eyeing her sister. She just threw it at her.

"Put it on." She said and walked out the door. Kiera sighed and started the shrug out of her clothes. Sometimes it was just easier to give into Gwen than it was to argue with her.

"What exactly are we doing?" Kiera asked a half an hour later when she met Gwen's approval as they were walking to the restaurant. Gwen did Kiera's makeup which was a little too much for her, but she didn't argue.

"Don't get mad." Gwen started and that statement made Kiera stop in her tracks.

"What did you do Guinevere?" Kiera asked using Gwen's full first name.

"We're going on a date." Gwen said and Kiera made a U turn to go straight back to the house. Gwen grabbed her sister's arm and tried to stop her. "Please don't leave Kiera, I promised that we would be there and the guy is so cute. Please."

"I can't believe you Gwen, how could you do that to me?" Kiera said dragging her sister behind her as Gwen tried to stop her.

"Please Kiera, for me. Just this once." Gwen begged and Kiera stopped to look at her little sister. She was all dressed up and pleading with her. She sighed and nodded her head, Gwen reached up and grabbed her neck squeezing her hard.

"You owe me so big Gwen." She said when she pried her sister off of her. Gwen just nodded and felt the relief flood her when they turned to walk to the restaurant again. "So who is this guy?" Kiera asked, suddenly feeling the butterflies turn in her stomach.

"He's the older brother of the guy that I want to date. His name is Derek and he is so cute, cuter than Bobby if that's possible. You'll love him I promise." Gwen said. Kiera hoped so or else it would turn out to be a miserable night.

Kiera sat next to Derek and could have killed her sister. He looked like he was twenty one or older even though Gwen said he was nineteen, actually she said he was eighteen almost nineteen. He was cute, but he looked at her like she was dirt on the bottom of his shoe. Gwen sat cuddled up against Bobby as they waited for their dinner.

"So Bobby tells me that you are an artist." Derek said turning to Kiera, boredom already in his eyes.

"She's the best artist you'll ever meet." Gwen said causing Derek to look at her with a smile. Gwen was the type that he liked, cute and bubbly, not this little slip of a thing who looked scared out of her mind to be here.

Kiera tried to get a hold of herself, but she was nervous about going on a date. She'd never gone on one before and this guy looked like he was going to spit in her face.

"What kind of stuff do you draw?" He asked.

"Lots of different things, people mostly." Kiera said and tried to smile.

"Can you draw me."

"I suppose so." She said and tried not to narrow her eyes. She hated it when people asked her to draw themselves, it just seemed like a huge ego trip to ask for a drawing of yourself.

"Cool, do it." He said.

"I don't have any paper or a pencil."

"I'll get you somethin'." He said and left.

"Come on Gwenny, lets go get our pizza." Bobby said pushing Gwen out. Kiera watched as Gwen winked at her sister and smiled. Kiera tried to smile back, but she couldn't. Now she was going to be alone with this guy who wanted her to draw him. He came back with a paper place mat and a small pencil from the cashier and handed them to her, sitting down across from her and got into a pose.

"How's this?" He asked smiling at her. She shyly smiled back and nodded trying not to say anything to him and started to sketch.

"They're getting along pretty well." Gwen said watching her older sister draw Derek. Bobby just looked at the booth and shrugged. He knew from the moment Gwen and Kiera walked in that Derek wasn't going to like Kiera. Gwen had tried her best to make her look presentable, but all that dark hair just wasn't what Derek liked and she looked like she was going to roll up into a ball and roll away.

"So, do you like drawing?" Derek asked.

"Don't move." Kiera said and continued to sketch. "Yes I like to draw, I wouldn't do it if I didn't." God getting this chick to talk was like pulling teeth. How come his brother couldn't have hooked him up with someone who actually talked. She'd rather sit there and draw, but at least she was drawing him so that was something. Kiera couldn't believe she was sitting here drawing some guy that she didn't even know while Gwen was flirting with his brother. Could this night get any worse?

"Let's go down to the lake." Bobby said when they had finished their pizza.

"Hey, yeah, that's a great idea. It certainly feels like it's still summer." Gwen said smiling.

"Can I talk to you for a minute Gwen." Kiera said and pulled her sister aside.

"What is your problem." Gwen hissed when Kiera dragged her into the bathroom.

"Are you insane? Can you not see that Derek would rather throw up on me than talk to me?" Kiera asked. "Besides how are we going to get back home from the lake?"

"Derek will take us home, come on Kiera, Bobby and I are having such a great time. You can stay out just a little longer can't you?" Gwen asked, pleading with her sister. Kiera looked at her and knew that she didn't want to go, but Gwen did and she wouldn't go without Kiera. She sighed and nodded.

Derek looked like he could kill his younger brother for his suggestion of going to the lake.

"How could you?" He spat out.

"What?"

"That chick might as well be a damn doll and you want to go to the lake?"

"Come on Derek, Kiera isn't that bad. Besides Gwen is great and I want to have a little more time with her." He said and pleaded with his older brother. He just shook his head and Bobby knew he had his brother. Kiera and Gwen came back out and Gwen had a huge smile on her face.

"Let's go." She said and grabbed Bobby's arm. Kiera watched as Derek got up, the picture that she drew in his hand and tossed it on top of the left over pizza, the grease soaking the picture in seconds and he reached for his keys. She just shook her head and followed her sister out, Derek right in front of her.

Kiera looked at the glossy surface of the lake, but stayed by the shore. She had a slight shiver run up her spin and watched Gwen running down to the dock with Bobby close behind her.

"Gwen, don't go in," She said and Gwen plunged into the water. "The water." She finished and sighed. Bobby jumped in right behind her and they splashed around.

"They'll be fine. Bobby wouldn't hurt her." Derek said behind her. Kiera turned to look at him and heard the disgust in his voice that gave here another shiver. "What?" He asked turning to look at her.

"Nothing." She said and rubbed her arms, feeling the goose bumps rise up.

"Kiera, come out to the dock." Gwen called from the water. Kiera would rather run back to the town, but she just nodded and walked out to be closer to her sister. She had a feeling that if she was close to Gwen that she would be safer then if she was alone with Derek. Kiera walked out on the unsteady dock and watched her sister play in the water.

"Come on out Kiera, the water feels great." Gwen called, pushing the wet hair out of her eyes.

"No, that's okay, I'll just stay up here." She said.

"Come on Kier, it really is a hot night out." Bobby said smiling. She just shook her head and smiled watching as Gwen splashed and giggled when he splashed her back and dunked her underneath the water.

Derek sat back on the shore and watched as Gwen and Bobby played around in the water and Kiera watched on the dock. She had her sandals off and was kicking her feet in the water, but she didn't go further than that. It really was a balmy night out, the September air hot and thick with the left over heat of the summer. The girl was made for moonlight, he could see that. The florescent lights in the restaurant didn't do her justice and she was pretty. Black hair and white skin shined with the moon on her. He got up from the dirt and slowly made his way to the dock.

"You sure you don't want to come in?" Gwen asked Kiera for the fifth time since they were there. She still shook her head, but smiled down at her sopping wet sister.

"Yeah Kiera, go on in." Derek said walking up to her. She turned to look at him, her smile fading as she drew her legs back out of the water and stood up.

"That's all right, I don't need to cool off." She said.

"Sure you do." He said and pushed her into the water. Kiera didn't have time to react as she felt herself falling on the other side of Gwen and Bobby and into the icy water.

"WHY DID YOU DO THAT?" Gwen screamed at Derek when she watched her sister pushed into the water.

"She wanted to go in, I could tell, but she needed a push." He said and laughed, diving in after Kiera. Kiera felt herself go deep into the water before she was able to push herself back up to the surface and gulp the air.

"Kiera are you okay?" Gwen asked making her way around the dock to her sister.

"I'm okay Gwenny, I just got a shock." Kiera said and started to make her way back to the dock to pull herself back up. She heard Derek surface beside her and turned, pushing the hair out of her face.

"Why did you push me?" She asked getting angry. He laughed at her and splashed some water at her.

"Figured you needed a push before you started to have some fun." He said. She put her hands up to block the water he was tossing at her and kept going towards the dock. "Getting out so soon?" He asked.

"I didn't want to go in the water in the first place." She spat out at him. He just laughed and pulled her shoulders back and dunking her in the water.

"Don't do that." She hissed when she emerged again, fear climbing up her.

"Do what?" He asked.

"Du..." She said and he pushed her down again. "GWEN!" She called when she came back up.

"I'm coming Kier!" Gwen said and started to swim to her sister when she heard how scared she was.

"Need your baby sister to protect you?" He asked and laughed at her. She ignored him and kept trying to get back to the dock and away from him. "Why do you want to get out, it is hot outside. The water feels good." He said and pulled her back and dunked her again, keeping her down.

Kiera plunged down and felt his strong arm holding her shoulder down. She tried to get back up to the surface, but he held her there. She felt the panic start to rise and started kicking hard, but she felt like the surface was just beyond her reach.

"What are you doing Derek?" Bobby asked when he and Gwen finally swam around to the other side.

"Just fooling around. She's okay." He said. Gwen saw that he was keeping her sister down in the water and started kicking hard to get Kiera.

"Let her up Derek!" She called.

"She's fine." He said, keeping her down. Kiera needed to breath, she felt like her lungs were on fire, but he still kept her down. Finally she just opened up her mouth to the water and felt it fill her up.

Gwen watched as Derek froze in the water feeling Kiera not struggling any more and Gwen watched in horror as water stopped moving.

"KIERA!" She screamed and felt her entire body freeze up when Derek lifted his hand and she watched her sister's body rise up. She looked at Derek and pointed her finger at him.

"She's just playing." Derek said and got out of the water. Gwen kept her eyes on her sister and prayed with every fiber of her being that Kiera was fooling around. Any moment Kiera would roll over and smile and laugh at them.

"Come on Bobby, let's go." Derek said to his brother. He looked at Gwen and shook his head.

"Gwenny, come on." He said, but she just shook her head.

"She's alive, just go. She'll come around." Gwen said and made her way to her sister. He gave her one last look and got out of the water with his brother. Derek dragged his brother to the car and took off.

"Do you think she is fooling around?" He asked when they got in the car. Derek just shrugged headed back to town. "Think they will be okay? Get back to town all right?"

"Quit asking me so many questions Robert. I didn't want to come in the first place." He spat out. Bobby just sank back into his seat and stared out the window. He hoped that Kiera was all right.

Gwen pulled Kiera to the shore and dragged her body up, rocking the lifeless body against her.

"Please, please Kiera." She wailed holding her sister close to her, the tears streaming hot and slick down her face. Kiera hadn't moved and wasn't moving, her arm flailing out as Gwen rocked. Gwen looked down at her sister's face, blue in the moonlight, her lips tinted purple and eyes closed, her black hair sticking to her lips and forehead. "Kiera, you can't leave me, you just can't." She called. She prayed harder than she had ever prayed in her life to have her sister back. She didn't care that Kiera was perfect and she wasn't. She didn't care that she was the youngest and got less attention. She wanted her sister to open up her eyes. She could do it, Kiera was strong.

"What are you doing Gwenny?" A voice called from behind her. She whipped around to see her sister standing behind her. She looked back at the dead body in her arms and flung it away getting up from the dirt and running to her sister. She flung her arms around her sister and hugged her tight. "What's the matter Gwen? You haven't hugged me like this since, I can't even remember." She said and laughed.

"Kiera." She said and sobbed into her sister's shoulder. Kiera smiled and hugged her sister tight to her before she looked over her sister's head and saw a body.

"What's that?" Kiera asked and walked toward it.

"No Kier, don't." She said and tried to pull Kiera back, but she just continued to walk. She looked down at her own body, laying in the dirt.

"Is that me?" She whispered and saw the wet hair against her forehead. She just stared at herself and shook her head.

"Kier, I'm so sorry." Gwen blurted out, but Kiera wasn't paying attention to her she just continued to stare.

"Mom and Dad can't find out about this." She said turning to her sister. Gwen looked up at her, tears blurring her sister's face.

"What are we going to do?" She asked.

"I don't know, hide it in the bushes I guess." She said and started pulling her own body up. Gwen couldn't touch the body again just watched as Kiera pulled herself up into the bushes. "Do you have your cell?" Kiera asked when she came back down. She didn't even seem to be bothered by the fact that she just covered herself up. Gwen shook her head and looked down. "Fine. It's not that far to town, we'll just call Aunt Bella and have her pick us up." Kiera said. Gwen looked at her and Kiera sighed. She pulled her little sister to her and hugged her tightly.

"It's all my fault." She said against her sister.

"No it's not Gwenny, it'll be okay. I'll make sure it is." She said. Gwen just held onto her sister and didn't want to think about the real Kiera who was laying in the bushes.


	5. Juno Returns

Okay so you might have noticed that Kiera died, very sad, but like I said, had to be done. And yes she died in water just like Barbara and Adam and Lydia. Reason? I have one I promise. I didn't want any marks on her and I figured drowning would be the best way for her to do that. I wanted her to look exactly the same so that's what I came up with.

Anyway you also might have noticed that Kiera did not go back to the house like Lydia and the Maitlands did. I have a reson for that as well as everything else you might have questions about. Anyway I hope that you enjoy this and review!!

Lace

* * *

Kiera held her sister to keep her steady as they started to make their way back to town. They hadn't even gotten to the road when Kiera saw the flashing blue and red lights.

"It'll be okay Gwenny." She said holding her sister tighter as the police car rolled up and the officers got out.

"We got a call from a couple of boys saying that there had been an accident?" The officer said looking down at Kiera and Gwen. Kiera felt Gwen's legs start to give way and it took all of her strength to hold her sister up.

"I was playing a prank on them officer. See, the guy was coming on to me and he started dunking me and well, I can hold my breath for a really long time. I just wanted to scare him. I was okay the whole time." Kiera said lying smoothly to the officers. They just looked at her and turned to Gwen who was shaking.

"She okay?" The other asked and Gwen let out a tiny squeak.

"She's okay, I just scared her a little bit too." Kiera said praying that the officers would take her word for it and not go exploring in the bushes. She could only drag the body so far in there and it wasn't covered as well as it could be. They looked at the both of them for a few moments before sighing.

"Well you gave those boys quite a scare and I wouldn't recommend you do it again. Your sister looks like she's in a bit of shock too. Get in and we'll take you home to your parents." They said. Kiera smiled up at them and nodded.

"Thank you, we'd appreciate the ride home." At least that jerk had enough morality to call the cops instead of just running out on them. It saved them a long walk home, but Kiera still wondered why she came back to her sister instead of going straight to the house. Didn't her parents say that when you died you had to haunt? She didn't understand, but she was grateful, Gwenny needed her.

Bella had been pacing her brother's living room for the past half an hour. Gwen had told her that she and Kiera would be going for some pizza with friends, but they should have been back hours ago and she was worried sick. She saw flashing lights and her stomach dropped, what happened to her little nieces? She flew to the door and yanked it open to see the police walking her nieces up to the door.

"You their mother?" One of the officer's asked. Bella shook her head and reached for them, feeling their wet bodies against hers.

"No, I'm their aunt. Their parents went on a weekend trip." Bella said. "What happened?"

"Seems like a couple boys got a little rough and the oldest decided to teach them a lesson. Scared the hell out of them." He said looking sharply at Kiera, but then his face softened a little bit.

"I see, well I'll stay with them and we'll talk about it when their parents get back." Bella said, clearly dismissing the officers. They just nodded at her and left, closing the door behind them.

"What happened?" She asked, each of them so tight they started to struggle.

"Aunt Bella." Kiera said pushing away from her. "A couple of guys took us to the lake and we were all fooling around. One guy got a little pushy and dunked me a few times. I decided to teach him a lesson and kept holding my breath, acting like had died. They left out of there in a panic and I popped back up." Kiera said. It was most of the truth, she just kept out the detail that Kiera hadn't acted. Bella looked at her and then looked at Gwen who was whiter than any of them.

"What's the matter Gwenny?" She asked and pulled her little defiant niece to her. Gwen just shook her head and broke down, crying into her aunt's soft arms. She had promised Kiera that she wouldn't say a word, but it was hard when she was so scared.

"Gwenny didn't know what I was doing." Kiera said quickly when she saw the signs of her sister breaking.

"I think I better get your parents." Bella said. "Can you two be okay for a few minutes?"

"Of course." Kiera said. "But you shouldn't disturb Mom and Dad. They need a vacation."

"They'll survive." Bella said and disappeared. Kiera grabbed her sister and made Gwen face her.

"You can't let Mom and Dad or Aunt Bella know about this Gwenny. If you go crying all over the place then they are going to suspect something." She hissed and Gwen who still had tears streaming down her face. Kiera looked at her little sister and sighed. She knew she was being harsh, but she didn't want her parents to know that one more person in their family was dead, but she couldn't help feel a little happy. She knew that she was going to be able to show powers now, she wasn't going to be the black sheep anymore. She smiled a little and Gwen cocked her head to the side.

"What are you smiling at?" Gwen asked her.

"What? Oh nothing Gwenny, just promise me." She said, holding her sister's hands.

"Fine," Gwen said and sighed. "I promise." She looked at Kiera who seemed satisfied and nodded.

Lydia and Beetlejuice arrived and Kiera would have laughed if their faces hadn't been so set with fear. Beetlejuice was wearing a light shirt completely unbuttoned with a pair of shorts while her mother was in a dark blue bikini with a matching sarong tied around her slender waist. Lydia rushed forward to pull her children to her and the girls were squeezed again.

"What happened?" Beetlejuice asked, tugging them out of their mother's arms and into his own.

"You have got to be either the most curse family or," A raspy voice called from behind them all. Beetlejuice turned with both girls in his arms to see the familiar face of Juno. He felt his stomach drop as he gently put down Kiera and Gwen.

"Or?" He whispered staring at her. She looked at the ghost that had driven her crazy for so many centuries. She saw the utter fear in his face and voice as he stared at her. She lit a cigarette and took a drag, the smoke drifting out from the slit in her throat.

"Or, the closest. I'm not sure which." She finished.

"What do you mean Juno? Why are you here?" Lydia asked and felt Bella's comforting hand on her. Juno just shook her head and looked at the girls, who automatically squeezed closer together.

"Kiera," She started and all the wind came out of Kiera's sails. She'd been found out and she couldn't face her parents.

"Died at exactly seven fifty three eastern time." She said and Kiera felt the eyes of her parents on her and kept her head down.

"What do you mean Juno?" Lydia asked, feeling her knees start to give on her. She sighed and looked at Lydia, she didn't know how the young mother felt, but she could sympathize with her.

"At that time Kiera drowned and her spirit left her body." Juno explained.

"Why didn't she just return to the house?" Beetlejuice asked. His little girl was now cursed to be in the house for over a hundred years. He couldn't imagine a worse pain than what he felt right now. To his surprise Juno just gave a little smile, dry, but it was there.

"She didn't return to the house because of your daughter Guinevere. She is half ghost are you not?" She asked turning to Gwen. Gwen looked up at the old lady and watched the smoke drifting out from her neck and nodded.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Beetlejuice asked and put his hand on Gwen's shoulder, giving her a reassuring squeeze.

"She wished for Kiera to return to her and her wish was granted."

"So where will Kiera haunt? Here or the lake?"

"You just don't learn do you?" Juno said shaking her head at Beetlejuice. He looked at her and furrowed his brow.

"What do you mean Juno?"

"You still haven't read the fine print. Children are innocent, a lot more innocent than adults are and if a child under the age of eighteen is killed by accident they have the choice." She said simply.

"What choice?" Lydia asked.

"The choice to haunt or to roam free. You see some children, mostly younger ones will want to stay in one place, scared to go anywhere else, but others will want to roam free in the world, forever staying the age that they are." Juno explained. She turned to look at Kiera who was pressed close to Beetlejuice. "It's up to you Kiera, if you want to haunt or not." Kiera looked at the ghost and shook her head.

"I don't want to haunt, I want to be free." She said and Juno just nodded. A clipboard appearing in her hands.

"Sign here," She said and pointed to a line on the bottom of a form. Kiera sighed the form and looked at Juno. "This form hereby states that you are released from your haunting requirement and will forever remain the age of fifteen years and ten months. You will never age beyond this point and you will be able to walk this earth with the living so long as you keep within the guidelines. You're parents will be able to inform you of those. Now, if you'll excuse me I have many more appointments to make." Juno said and disappeared leaving only a haze of smoke behind.

"Well Bella," Beetlejuice said in a heavy sigh. "You up for another student?"


	6. Rest in Peace

Okay this is sad guys. At least I thought it was. My heart goes out to Beej and Lydia as well as the girls. I hope you enjoy this piece of the story as much as I did. I thought it was pretty fitting. Please Review, I always want to know what you think.

Lacey

* * *

"How can you joke at a time like this?" Lydia asked looking at her husband, misery in her eyes. Beetlejuice just looked at his wife and gave heavy sigh.

"If I don't crack at least one joke Babes, I'm gonna start cryin' right in front of the kids." He whispered to her. "How did this happen?" Beetlejuice asked turning to Kiera. Kiera didn't want to say anything to her father, she wanted to just leave it all alone, but by the way he was looking at her she knew he would demand to know everything and she gave a heavy sigh.

"Gwen and I went out tonight and met a couple of guys." She started and Gwen paled next to her. "We had some dinner and decided to go to the lake." Kiera carefully avoided everything that Gwen was really involved in, she didn't want her sister to get into trouble.

"Go on." Beetlejuice said in a tight voice. He knew he had to let Kiera get everything out before he flew off the handle, but he was already starting to become furious at the mere mention of boys.

"We went up to the lake and Gwenny and this one guy Bobby jumped in. They wanted me to jump in too, but I didn't want to. Bobby's older brother Derek came around and pushed me in. I wanted to get back out, but he just dunked me twice and I started to run out of breath, then he dunked me again and held me under. Since I already wasn't breathing very well I couldn't hold my breath for very long and well, I couldn't make it." Kiera said and remembered the feeling of helplessness she felt as she opened her mouth and let the water into her lungs, filling her up. It hurt and she was scared, but after a few seconds she didn't feel anything else.

"Juno mentioned that Gwen wished you to come back, what was that about?" Bella asked, sitting down next to Lydia, one arm around her for comfort. Lydia just sat there, numb as she heard her daughter tell everyone about her death.

"I remember that there was a lot of black, like if you're stuck in a room that's completely covered up and I kept hearing my name, over and over again. I moved toward that sound and it kept getting stronger, then I saw Gwen in the dirt, rocking back and forth holding something. That's all that happened." Kiera said and shrugged. She was glad that she had gone back to her sister or else Gwen would still have probably been sitting there at the lake.

"What were you holding Gwenny?" Beetlejuice asked looking at his youngest daughter. She turned to look at him, her dark blue eyes watered over with tears and shook her head and dropped her head letting the tears fall down.

"Kiera, I was holding Kiera." She whispered to her feet. Beetlejuice reached out and pulled her to him and she broke, the tears flooding down as she sobbed into his shoulder.

"You two have been through enough tonight and we'll take care of everything else."

"We have to get her body Beej." Lydia whispered back, not wanting to really acknowledge the fact that her daughter was never going to be able to do the things that she got to do when she was her age. Never go to college, never get married. It hurt her in more ways than she could have ever imagined. Beetlejuice nodded and gently pried Gwen off of him, handing her to Bella.

"Take them up to our room Bell and wait with them. I don't want them to be alone." He said to his sister and snapped his fingers, changing from the shorts and open shirt to a pair of black pants and shirt.

"Wait Dad." Kiera said pulling away from her aunt. "You don't know where it is." She said. She wanted to go with them and see herself, it was strange, but she couldn't help it.

"Where Kiera?" He asked.

"I'll show,"

"Don't you even think about it." He said, harsher than she'd ever heard and she withdrew from him, automatically. "Your mother and I will take care of it. Where is it?" He asked and Kiera put her head down and looked at her shoes.

"The dock where we usually go." She said in a dull voice and felt her aunt's cold hand reach out for hers.

"We'll be back soon Bella." Lydia said and changed her own clothes. Bella nodded and led the girls up the stairs, dragging Kiera a little as she craned her head to watch her parents disappear.

Lydia walked down the pathway to the lake, now black with the moonlight shimmering on it.

"It shouldn't have happened." She muttered, more to herself than to her husband. Beetlejuice stopped and reached out to hold his wife's hand.

"No, it shouldn't have happened Babes, but it did and we have to deal with that. As much power as we have, we can't bring our little girl back from the dead." He said with more hurt than Lydia had ever heard before.

"She must be around here somewhere." Lydia said and looked in the bushes. They hadn't been there for more than five minutes when Lydia spotted her. Her little girl, who's pale skin shimmered in the moonlight. "Oh God." She said and fell to her knees. Beetlejuice immediately went to his wife, kneeling down beside her as she shook seeing her daughter's body by the lake shore.

"Lyds, are you okay?" He asked and all she could do was shake her head. He held her body close to his and he spotted Kiera's body and his own began to shake. It was the worst thing that could have ever happened to them, his little girl's warm body was now gone and replaced by her spirit. At least she wasn't stuck in one place, it would have really killed him if that had happened.

"She is so young." Lydia said, her words contorting when her mouth fell. She couldn't take it and felt the tears rising up in her. Beetlejuice held his wife as she began to sob for her child. He felt tears rising up in him as well, something that hadn't happened in so long that he couldn't remember what century it had been when he cried. He felt the silent tears slid down his cheeks as he held onto Lydia, both to support her and to support himself.

"I'll go see to her Babes." He whispered and kissed his wife on the top of her head.

"No, I want to go too. I have to." Lydia said sniffing loudly and looking up at him. She was surprised to see that his own eyes were red in the moonlight, she hadn't heard him crying. He just nodded and laced his fingers through hers. They made their way to their daughter's lifeless body.

Beetlejuice stared down at Kiera's body for what felt like hours. Even in death, cold and wet from the night she was beautiful. Her rich black hair was plastered to her face, the dirt crusting on her from when Gwen had dragged her up. Her eyes were closed and he could have sworn that she was sleeping, dreaming of things she wanted to do, people she wanted to see. It wasn't right that a girl so young and innocent had her life taken away. His sadness turned to a deep and powerful rage that overflowed him as he thought about the boy who killed his little girl. There would be revenge, oh yes and it would come swiftly by his hands. He glanced down at Lydia who was just staring at her little girl.

Lydia couldn't believe it and she felt the tears rising up in her again. She had carried Kiera by herself and cared for her, loved her with a fierceness no one could understand. She had been alone and struggled to keep Kiera healthy and safe for the first months of her life. That is, until Beetlejuice came back. She looked at her husband of twenty years and never thought she could love him more than what she did right now. They were destined to be together and she knew that now, but her little girl was never going to get that chance for happiness. She shook her head and sighed. Her baby was gone, but she wasn't gone. Lydia remembered what it was like when she was learning her powers and she knew that Kiera would have the same difficulty. The only thing she could do is love her.

"We better get this over with Babes." Beetlejuice said interrupting her thoughts. He snapped his fingers and the portal to Saturn came into view. He bent down to pick up Kiera's body when Lydia put her hand on his arm and pulled him back.

"No." She said simply.

"No what Babes?"

"I will not have my baby's body resting in the belly of some monster." She said flatly. He looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"We have to do somethin' Babes, we can't just leave her here. We did it for your body."

"I know and Kiera deserves better than that. We need to give her a real resting place."

"Where exactly do we do that?"

"In the other world." She said. She wouldn't argue with him on this. Her child's body needed to be in a resting place, someplace peaceful and quiet, not a desert with a worm to eat her. Beetlejuice looked at Lydia and saw the determination on her face and he nodded, making the whole disappear and replace it with a mirror large enough for the both of them. He bent down to pick Kiera's body up that hung limply in his arms and they stared at the mirror until their faces disappeared and a world came into view. They stepped through it and Beetlejuice turned to Lydia.

"Now where do we go?" He asked.

"The ocean, Kiera loved the ocean." She said. It was strange to think of her daughter as still there and waiting at home when she watched her husband carry her away in his arms, her arms hanging down and legs swinging with each movement. He nodded at her and they transported themselves to the ocean.

Lydia had never been to the ocean in the afterlife. It was strange yet familiar and bizarrely beautiful. The water was a deep emerald green that crashed upon a black sand shore. Twisted and strange and just what Kiera would love. She'd have to remember to bring her daughter here when she made her first trip into the afterlife. Beetlejuice set her body down on the sandy shore and took his wife's hand.

"Now what Babes?" He asked. "We bury her or we cremate her." Lydia looked at him and sighed.

"She doesn't need to have her body kept. It was just a holder for her spirit. Let's let the vessel go." She said and he nodded. Together they set her body on a raft and pushed it out into the green waters. They waited as her body drifted away from them before Beetlejuice set it on fire, the flames burning bright white as they watched her drift away into the horizon.


	7. The Wrath of Beetlejuice

I hope you accept my apology for not posting last night since it's my norm to post every night. I was so tired and ended up falling asleep at ten instead of staying up later to work on my stories. Anyway I think this is a cool chapter, as you can see by the title BJ get's a little revenge, which is always a good thing.

Anway I also got a seriously cool picture of John drawn up this morning with a little help from my Mom on the nose and eyes. It's going to be on DA (Deviantart for those wh o don't know) so please check it out. My screen name there is DarkbutCute and I'm trying to work on all the characters from this story. Anyway I hope you enjoy and please review.

Lace

* * *

Beetlejuice and Lydia came home exhausted as they made their way up the stairs to the room. They opened up the door to see Bella in the middle of their bed with a girl on either side of her. Gwen and Kiera had fallen asleep, but Bella had been awake and had waited for them. 

"What happened?" Bella whispered, careful not to disturb the girls.

"We let her body go." Lydia said. She was sad, but felt a lot better that Kiera's body hadn't gone to the Sandworms like her and John's body did. Bella just nodded and watched as her brother and his wife climbed into bed, fully clothed and exhausted. Beetlejuice climbed in next to Gwen, who was sleeping soundly and Lydia snuggled against Kiera, who put her arms around her mother in her sleep. Lydia wanted to cry again when she felt her daughter's normally warm hands, cold on her cold skin, but she was too tired to cry.

Beetlejuice waited for his wife and sister to fall asleep as he laid there pretending, Gwen hugging his side. The anger inside him grew larger and larger until it overflowed to the point of madness. They must pay and he must have revenge for his little girl. He slowly climbed out of bed and Gwen rolled over to hug her aunt, her sleep unbroken.

"Where are you going?" Bella asked softly and Beetlejuice turned to see his sister staring at him, Gwen's head on her shoulder while Kiera cuddled up to her side and Lydia snuggled against Kiera's back. Beetlejuice turned into his favorite black and white striped suit, his hair wild and black around his eyes.

"Revenge is a real bitch and those boys are going to pay." He whispered back. Bella just looked at him, she'd never seen her brother look like that before and she nodded. He actually scared her and she never thought that B could be really and truly scary. She'd heard the stories of course, but never did she see it, until now.

Beetlejuice had never been one for dreams, but that was the best way he could think of to truly terrify a couple of snot nose brats that killed his baby. Kiera had said that their names were Bobby and Derek. He riffled through Gwen's address book to find the only Bobby there and made his way to their house. It was Showtime.

Derek couldn't sleep, he kept seeing the floating body in the lake and prayed that she really was faking, but somewhere in the pit of his stomach he doubted it. He couldn't believe that playing a simple prank would turn out so badly. He had to pull the car over after Bobby said he was going to get sick and waited for at least fifteen minutes while Bobby puked his guts out. After that he knew he had to call the cops for something. Gwen was still there with her sister and he wasn't completely evil. He said that there was an accident, that would suffice since he didn't know if she was gone or not. Some girls could hold their breath for a long time, he hoped that she could.

"Derek?" Bobby called and cracked open the door.

"Yeah?"

"I can't sleep." Bobby was scared, he could hear it in his little brother's voice.

"I can't either."

"Can I stay with you for a little while?"

"Sure." Derek said and Bobby came in and laid down in the hammock that Derek had strung up in the corner of his room.

"You think she's okay?" Bobby asked.

"I told you she was. I called Gwen's house up and asked. She's fine." Derek said, it was a lie, but it would suffice since his brother had been sick in the bathroom since they'd gotten home. Bobby just nodded and believed his older brother.

"I hope Gwen's all right too."

"She is."

"How do you know?"

"Just shut up and go to sleep." Derek said. Bobby nodded and closed his eyes, but he couldn't sleep.

Beetlejuice watched as the boys in the bedroom talked. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but he knew it was about what happened. There was only one reason why an older brother would let a younger brother sleep in his room and it was because they were scared. Good, they needed to be scared and he was going to use it. He disappeared out of the window and crept into their room, changing.

Derek had closed his eyes and finally had started drifting to sleep when he heard a hiss. He opened his eyes and looked around. He saw Bobby's outline in the shadows and saw that he was awake too.

"You hear that?" Derek whispered and Bobby turned to him and nodded, the whites of his eyes huge against the darkness of the night. They heard a hiss again and Bobby bolted out of the hammock and ran to Derek's bed, but tripped on something. He turned and saw the head of a huge, snake with a human like face on it. Hair flowing out of it's head and eyes large with slits down the middle.

"Surprise." Beetlejuice hissed and wrapped his thick tail around the frightened boy.

"What are you?" Bobby stammered and felt himself being lifted up off the ground.

"I'm your worst nightmare come alive little boy." He hissed again and looked over at the older boy, the one who really killed his daughter. His face was pure white and eyes wide as he looked at him. Good, he needed to be scared.

"You," He hissed looking at Derek. He shrank back into the wall as Beetlejuice slithered towards him.

"What?" He whispered.

"You have caused harm. You have killed and you must pay." He said.

"Killed?"

"You must pay." Beetlejuice said ignoring Derek's question. He threw Bobby against the wall and watched with joy as the boy hit the wall with his head and knocked himself out.

"It was an accident." Derek stammered and watched Bobby slump to the ground, his eyes closed.

"You will pay." He said and wrapped his strong tail around Derek's leg and lifted him high up. Derek watched as his ceiling disappeared and he was held high up into the sky by the large snake.

"No, please don't kill me, please. I'll do anything." He pleaded. Beetlejuice looked at the boy, older than he should be as he begged for his life.

"Anything?"

"Anything."

"Leave, never return to this place again or there will be consequences." He said.

"Leave, but where will I," Derek started.

"It is of no concern to me, you must pay and that is what I require."

"Okay, okay I'll go." Derek said

"It is done." Derek looked down at the ground. It looked like the snake had grown taller and he was being held over the yard, fifty feet from the ground. "Good night." Beetlejuice hissed and let Derek go. He screamed as he watched the ground get larger as he fell.

Derek woke up in his bed, sweating buckets of cold sweat and looked around his room. His ceiling was still there and Bobby was no where to be found. He was breathing heavy and his heart raced. He took a big, deep breath and let it out slowly. A dream, it must have been a dream. He laid back down in his bed, but didn't sleep. He didn't care if it was a dream or not, he had savings and had a friend in California that he was going to live with. He'd leave tomorrow.

Beetlejuice laughed to himself as he watched the boy launch out of bed and look around wildly. He could practically hear the plans of leaving the next morning and Beetlejuice made his way back to his own home to be with his family. When he came back Bella was still awake and waiting for him.

"Did it go well?" She whispered. He smiled and climbed back into bed and looked at his sister.

"It did."

"Dare I ask?" She felt Gwen move to turn back to her father. She must have smelled his cologne and wanted to be close to that protection.

"You can ask all you want Bell, but I ain't gonna spill the beans." He whispered and winked, putting his arm around his daughter and squeezed his sister's shoulder.

"You're mean." She said and put out her bottom lip. He just rolled his eyes and turned over to hug the side of the bed.

"Go to sleep Bell, we all had a long night."

"Where did it go?" Kiera asked the next morning when they finished telling her and Gwen about their trip.

"Into the afterlife ocean." Lydia said. "We know how much you love the ocean."

"Is it the same?"

"No, it looks way different, we'll show you when you make you're first trip to the afterlife." Beetlejuice said.

"Why do you keep calling it that?" Kiera asked, raising an eyebrow. Lydia, Gwen and Bella all looked at each other and shrugged.

"What else could we call it?" Bella asked.

"How 'bout the Neitherworld?" She suggested.

"Why?" Gwen asked looking at her sister. Kiera shrugged at them.

"Cause it's neither here, nor there I guess."

"I like it." Beetlejuice said. "The Neitherworld, has a nice ring to it." Kiera smiled at her father. Lydia smiled but it fell away quickly as she remembered they were supposed to meet her parents today for a family portrait that Delia had wanted to draw.

"We have to tell them." She said.

"Tell who what Babes?" Beetlejuice asked. Lydia looked at her husband and sighed.

"My parents need to know that Kiera isn't alive anymore. We swore up and down all those years ago that we wouldn't have any more secrets from anyone. It will be hard, but I think that it's best if they know." Beetlejuice just nodded and Kiera felt her stomach drop. She hadn't thought about that before, her grandparents had always been there for both her and her sister. She didn't want to see them hurt and she sighed. She supposed she didn't have much of a choice. Like her mother said, no more secrets between family.


	8. Family Meeting

I LOVE it when stuff just sort of pops out. This entire chapter did just that and now I've got a whole new bit going on. That is so much fun you have no idea. Anyway, grandparents as well as Adam and Barbara are back. I hope that you enjoy this and let me know!

By the way on Deviant Art I did some really nice portraits of John and Kiera (Gwen just posted as well, two seconds ago). They are actual portraits, not just cartoony versions. If you would like to check them out the best way would be to go to my gallery which is darkbutcute. deviantart. com. I put spaces in just in case it deleted the link. So that will get you there. One of the kids at work that I told this story to wanted to know what John looked like and so after thinking about it for a little bit I figured it out then I wanted to do a really nice picture of Kiera. I thought she turned out very pretty and so I'll be starting on Gwen, Bella, Lydia and Beetlejuice soon.

Anyway enjoy the chapter.

Lace

* * *

Charles knew that when he saw the entire family appear in his living room it was going to be either very good or very bad and judging by their faces he had a sinking feeling it wasn't the first. 

"We need everyone in here." Beetlejuice said solemnly. Charles just nodded and went to find Delia, Barbara and Adam. It was amazing to see how much their family had grown over the years. From Charles, Delia and Lydia to Adam, Barbara, Kiera, Beetlejuice, Gwen and Bella. They had grown into a big family that loved each other very much. Beetlejuice and Lydia sat down on the couch across from where Charles was sitting and held hands. Kiera sat next to her father while Gwen sat next to her mother. Bella remained standing next to her brother and they waited.

"Do we have to do this?" Kiera whispered. The last thing she wanted to do was upset her grandparents.

"Yes Babydoll we do." Beetlejuice whispered back and squeezed her hand. She sighed and nodded watching as her grandparents and her Aunt Barbara and Uncle Adam came into the living room and sat down.

"What's all this about?" Delia asked sitting down next to Charles.

"Something happened the other day and we thought it would be best if we just told you instead of keeping more secrets." Lydia started to explain to her parents. She watched them as they stiffened up and nodded as she looked at Beetlejuice.

"What is it?" Barbara whispered as she looked at their set faces. Beetlejuice took a deep breath and let it out slowly. How to explain to them at their eldest grandchild and niece wasn't alive anymore? It was all so hard, so terrible to even begin to try and explain.

"I'm dead." Kiera blurted out and slapped her hand over her mouth, looking up at her father in horror. He looked down at her and raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Delia busted out laughing as she looked at them.

"Oh you had us going for a good minute I'll give you that. Always joking around huh Beej?" She asked, but Beetlejuice and Lydia just looked at her, blinking and she felt her stomach drop.

"Not this time Delia. This isn't a joke, Kiera isn't alive anymore. There was an accident at the lake last night and she didn't survive." Beetlejuice said with a heavy heart.

"I don't understand, how is it that she is still walking around? Shouldn't she be bound to the house like Adam and I are?" Barbara asked looking at her little niece.

"She's under eighteen and she was given the choice. She chose to walk freely and remain the age that she is." Lydia said. Barbara stared at them and something in her snapped, she just couldn't take it anymore. It wasn't like she didn't love Lydia and her family, but now everyone with the exception of Gwen was dead and they were all walking around while she and Adam were stuck in one place.

"It's not fair, how is it that a ghost with such a lousy record could have such a better life than we do?" She seethed and Beetlejuice looked at her, shock clear in his eyes.

"What are you talking about Barbara?" He asked. They'd never been extremely close, but over the years they had formed a type of friendship and now seeing her grow angry he was shocked and a little curious.

"You and Lydia and now Kiera?" She said pointing to each of them. "You are all dead and you are all free, walk around doing whatever you please. Adam and I never did anything to hurt anyone and we are stuck here forever." She cried out.

"Not forever just," Lydia started.

"Another hundred years or so, great. You get the royal treatment and we get scum."

"Barbara, honey." Adam started seeing the look on Kiera's face as she watched Barbara fume.

"Don't honey me, it isn't fair Adam, it just isn't. Lydia has two children, one is now dead and the other is half dead, she's dead and can walk around. Her husband is a con artist and..." Barbara said, her eyes wild.

"My dad is not a con artist." Kiera said jumping up from the couch, narrowing her eyes at Barbara, without even realizing it she made the picture right behind Barbara shatter, glass shards flying everywhere. When Kiera realized what she had done she gasped and sat back down next to Beetlejuice and he put his arm around her.

"It's okay Kier, just showing your first signs of powers. Gwen was the same way. Anger is a powerful emotion." He said looking at how scared Kiera had gotten. He snapped his fingers and the picture restored itself and hung back on the wall. She looked at him, her eyes wide and nodded.

"Hate to break it to ya little girl, but he is. Married your mom when she was seventeen to get out of wherever he was and even cons people out of money today." Barbara said, ignoring the picture and ignoring what he'd done to fix it.

"That is enough Barbara." Bella and Lydia said jumping up together and advancing toward her. Charles and Delia just sat back and watched as the women walked towards her. Beetlejuice grabbed both Kiera and Gwen and held them to her. He'd never really seen Lydia get so angry outside of when they were with John and now he watched her fuming. He always saw his sister get angry, but seeing them together was something else entirely and knowing that it was because of him had to make him smile a little.

"I understand that you are angry Barbara and you probably have every right to be," Lydia started, trying to grasp the last few strands of restraint she had.

"No she doesn't Lyds. You've insulted my brother enough and it needs to stop now." Bella said, putting her hands on her hips. Barbara looked from Lydia to Bella and then down to the floor.

"I don't know what got over me. I just have some cabin fever I guess." She said to her feet.

"Apparently. Yes, my husband has had troubles in his past, but for the past twenty years or so he has been nothing short of wonderful and you know it Barbara." Lydia said eyeing the ghost who had such a huge motherly impact on her.

"I know, I am just so tired of playing the good person and end up getting the short end of the stick. I can't have children, we can't go anywhere other than here, it isn't fair."

"I understand that Barbara." Beetlejuice said and Barbara looked up at the sound of his voice. "You seem to forget that both Bella and I didn't get the privileges that Lydia and Kiera are getting. I had to be stuck in one place and haunt and so did Bella. In fact, Bella had it even worse because she was stuck with her father whom she hated so much. We understand how you can go a little stir crazy for a while. You can understand why I went so over the edge the other direction when I was released." He said and she sniffed and nodded. "Course, I was never a good one when I was alive either." He said and laughed. She gave a small hint of a smile and sat back down.

"What's going to happen now?" Charles asked. "I mean about Kiera?"

"She'll start haunting lessons with Gwen and I, building her strength up." Bella explained, now that her anger was gone, she was completely content again, nothing stored up like Barbara had done.

"It's such a horrible thing to happen. What exactly did happen?" Delia asked.

"I wanted to go out." Gwen blurted. Kiera looked at her and gave her a sign to shut up, but she ignored it. She had been so guilty that she could hardly speak, even though it had just happened last night. She couldn't keep it tucked in any longer. "I set Kiera up with the brother of a guy that I like, or liked, I don't know." She said.

"Go on Gwen." Lydia encouraged, it was the first time she'd heard any of this and she wanted her daughter to get it out before any other tempers flared up.

"Anyway the guy I like, Bobby, suggested we go to the lake and we did. His brother didn't really like Kiera and so he pretty much ignored her, but when she didn't want to jump in the lake like everyone else he pushed her and dunked her. I tried to get there as fast as I could, but I couldn't haul myself up on the dock again and so I had to swim around it. By the time I got there he was holding her down in the water." Gwen said and felt the tears spilling out of her eyes. "It's all my fault." She blurted out.

"No it's not Gwenny." Kiera started, but Gwen just shook her head.

"Yes it is. It is my whole fault for the whole thing and now you're dead. My big sister is dead because of me." She wailed and Beetlejuice grabbed his youngest girl and held her to him as she sobbed into his shirt.

"What happened to the boys?" Charles asked looking at Kiera who had been stone silent. "They left us,"

"WHAT?" Delia asked, her anger flaming up.

"They called the cops. It really was an accident." Kiera tried to explain, but no one was listening to her.

"Babes, why don't you get the kids home." Beetlejuice suggested and gently shifted the sobbing Gwen over to her mother. Lydia nodded and reached out for Kiera's hand. Kiera looked up at her father, but he just nodded and she sighed grasping her mother's hand before she disappeared.

"Tell me you did something Beetlejuice. Tell me you made them suffer." Delia said leaping up to her feet and pacing the living room.

"You wound me with your doubt Delia. Of course I did." He said and smiling at her.

"You better tell me what you did B, I'm dying to know." Bella said. "He left last night after they returned from getting rid of Kiera's old body." Bella explained.

"I, uh..'member the snake Chuck?" He asked and winked.

"Still haunts my nightmares sometimes." Charles said easily at his son-in-law.

"Kind of the point. Used that on the boys and I'm pretty sure they had to change their pants after I was done." He said.

"What if they recognize you?" Adam asked.

"I made it to where they thought they were dreaming. Needless to say the snot nose that did this is leaving, probably already out of the state by now." He said checking his watch.

"Good." Delia said.

"Listen, Beej? I am sorry about what I said with the girls." Barbara said. She knew that he loved them and she knew he did what he thought was best for them.

"Don't worry about it Babs. I don't like to hold grudges, too much energy." He said and winked at her. She gave a small smile back at him.

"Well, at least I don't have to give one of my girls away at a wedding." He said and winked. "Gotta make the best out of a bad situation or else it'll kill ya all over again. We uh, took her body into the Neitherworld too." He said.

"Neitherworld?"

"Kiera's new name for it. Set the body off into the ocean, so no evidence. Everyone else will just see her as a normal teenager." He said.

"All right." Delia said and was still trying to absorb everything that had just happened.

"I better go see how my girls are doin'. We'll talk later." He said and disappeared before they had a chance to say anything. Bella had stayed back and was eyeing Barbara. Barbara and Adam looked at her and they could see the gears in her mind working.

"What?" Adam said. Charles and Delia took their cue to exit to leave the ghosts alone. They'd seen Bella's temper before and if nothing else it rivaled Beetlejuice's and they didn't want to get caught in the middle.

"I take it you want children." She said to them.

"We would have liked to, but I could never have children." Barbara said.

"Why didn't you adopt?"

"We had thought about it, but then we died before we could start anything." Adam said.

"No, I meant after you were dead."

"What do you mean?"

"Children, especially babies die all of the time and they don't stop growing if they die when they are babies. Only children who are old enough to make a conscious decision like Kiera did stop growing up. Babies don't have that mentality and they need ghosts to care for them when they are little."

"But how could we possibly," Adam started. "I mean we are stuck here."

"Ghost babies grow a lot slower than live ones. A one year old baby that is alive is the same as a ten year old ghost baby." Bella said easily.

"So how could we do this?"

"I can do it for you since you can't go anywhere except for the offices. Is that something you'd like to consider?" She asked.

"YES!" Barbara and Adam said together. Bella smiled as she saw the hope and excitement in their eyes. She knew that when Barbara exploded there was a reason behind it. She hadn't really gotten to know them well over the years, but she knew enough to know that they loved Lydia and her family and they loved children. It was time they started a family of their own.


	9. Welcome to the Neitherworld

To everyone who responded yesterday I just want to say, thank you so much for that. My email was all wonky yesterday and I couldn't send out any replies, but I was trying, so I'm sorry if you didn't get anything from me. Know that I am always grateful.

I also got more pictures done, I've got John, Kiera, Gwen and Bella on my Deviant Art. If you'd like to go check them out. I think they've turned out really well, but you can see for yourself.

Anyway Kiera takes her first trip to the Neitherworld so Enjoy and Review!

* * *

Bella disappeared before Adam and Barbara's eyes to return back to her brother's home to see if she could do anything. She liked going there because she felt so alone when she was by herself. Not that she didn't like solitude, but ever since Lydia had found her and reunited her with her brother she found that having a family was so much more rewarding than being by herself.

When she came back to Beetlejuice and Lydia's house Gwen was still crying against her mother's shoulder, but it had softened up, more of a gentle and tired cry than the full out sobbing.

"She feels responsible for it all Aunt Bella." Kiera whispered when she saw her aunt appear. "She's not, it was an accident." Kiera said looking back over at her sister. She knew it hadn't been Gwen's fault about what happened, but it didn't mean that she didn't feel a little spiteful towards her as well. If her sister had just told her that they were going out with a few guys she could have called Tristan to come with them. Tristan would have made sure that nothing would have happened to both her and Gwen and she would still be alive. She suddenly thought about the fact that the one person who she had always counted on besides her family was now going to be shut out of another part of her life. She hadn't told a single soul about her parents secret, but now she had another one. How was she going to be able to hide her powers when just getting angry at her Aunt Barbara made a picture shatter?

"She's not responsible you know, but she'll be feeling guilty for a long time." Bella said shaking her niece back from her thoughts.

"Do you think so?" Kiera asked looking up. Bella looked down at her niece and gave her a soft smile.

"B, Lyds, I'm going to take Kiera into the Neitherworld for the first time. She needs to find out how to do that and the sooner the better. You need to have some time with Gwen." She called out. Beetlejuice just looked at his sister and nodded. He had wanted all of them to go together, but he understood Bella's reasoning behind it. She could explain a lot of things there and get Kiera started on how to control the new powers she received.

Bella led Kiera up to her room and sat her down on the bed. She snapped her fingers and a large black, wrought iron mirror appeared in front of her.

"Now, just look into the mirror Kiera, keep staring until you no longer see your reflection. You will begin to see another world, when that happens the mirror becomes a door and you are able to push past that and into the Neitherworld as you named it." Bella said standing behind her. Kiera nodded and looked into the mirror, she kept staring into her soft green eyes until they disappeared. Just like her aunt said, another world appeared and she gently put her fingers on the mirror and found it liquid. She took a deep breath and pushed in, feeling herself fall into another place. She landed with a thud on her feet and looked around. The landscaped seemed so barren and desolate that she shivered.

"Where are we?" She asked when her aunt appeared next to her.

"We are in the desert part of the Neitherworld." Bella said, it was scary how easily the name came to her now. She didn't have to struggle with what she was going to call it, it was simply the Neitherworld now. "Everyone comes to a different place the first time. Your mother came into the middle of downtown and I think your sister came into a part of the jungle. Now that we are here and you will see my house you will be able to picture that place in your mind and go directly there the next time." She explained. She held out her hand for Kiera to take and they appeared in front of Bella's cottage in the middle of the thick woods.

"It's so pretty, kind of like a place out of Grimm's Fairy Tales or something." Kiera said. Bella nodded and smiled down at her.

"Now you asked me if I thought that Gwen would feel guilty for a long time. I didn't answer because I didn't want her to overhear, but I wanted to explain something to you." Bella said as they walked into the house and Kiera sat down on the cushy sofa.

"Okay."

"Your sister feels things on an extremely deep level. That is why it is so hard for her to control her powers. I have a feeling that you will get it in no time just like your mother did."

"Why does it take her so long?"

"Gwen is exactly like B and me. She gets angry very easily and sad, but she also feels happiness and joy just as strongly. It is a wonderful thing to have, but it also takes a monumental amount of control as well. It took me ages to figure out how to use my powers correctly and B even longer than that. He still doesn't abide by all of the rules, but most of them."

"Why do you think I will catch on quicker?"

"I think that you control yourself on a deep level and you might now even realize that you are doing it. I think that somewhere in you, you tend to block things off. You haven't said anything about your real father and we've known each other for seven years Kiera. I know it isn't because you don't trust me, but I think there is something deep in you that's hurting you and you don't want to remember it." Bella said and watched as Kiera's face fell and she looked around to avoid her aunt.

"It's nothing much, really." She started, but Bella wouldn't budge on it.

"Yes it is Kier, I know it is." Bella said gently.

"He just, he..." She started but shook her head.

"Go on." Bella urged.

"He hated me, hates me. He just used me to get to Mom and Dad." She said and felt the tears in her eyes, stupid tears. She watched as a vase full of fresh flowers began to shake and Bella smiled.

"Good, getting emotions out is a good thing to do. I won't push you now Kiera, but you need to confront those things, you really do. Now enough of that." She said and handed Kiera a handkerchief to blot her eyes. "Would you like to see some more of the Neitherworld? I have something I need to do while I'm here." She said and Kiera smiled through her tears to look at her aunt.

"Sure." Kiera said brightening. She had always been interested in what it looked like. When Gwen was younger she couldn't describe things very well, now that she was older she just said it was weird. Kiera never knew what it looked like and could only imagine. Now that she was here she wanted to know and she was getting a chance with her aunt. "Where are we going?" She asked when they walked out the door. Bella held out her hand for Kiera to grab and smiled.

"You'll see." She said and they disappeared.

"An adoption agency?" Kiera asked when they arrived.

"Yup." Bella said smiling.

"Why? You want to adopt a baby. I didn't even know you could do that when you're dead." Kiera said.

"A lot of ghosts don't, it's sad because a lot of them need care." She said as they walked in. Kiera was shocked when a man with a large gapping hole on the side of his face smiled at them. Kiera shrunk back into her aunt and squeezed her hand.

"Can I help you?" He asked in a happy tone. Bella smiled and squeezed Kiera's hand back to reassure her.

"I'm looking for an infant to adopt for a few friends of mine." Bella explained. The ghost just nodded and all Kiera could do was stare at the gapping hole in his head. She knew somewhere in her mind that it was rude, but how could she not?

"Little nervous are we? Newly deceased?" He asked and Kiera realized that he was talking to her.

"No, I mean yes." Kiera stammered. Bella chuckled at her niece.

"This is her first trip here and she's just getting used to things."

"I see, you'll get used to it in no time. You see everyone here looks how the died. By the looks of you I'd say, frozen, drowning?"

"Drowned." Kiera whispered.

"Ah, you're one of the lucky ones, no marks on ya. See here?" He asked pointing to the hole. Kiera nodded shyly at him and he smiled.

"Got this from a slug that went straight into my head. Can't fix that after your dead." He said. Kiera nodded, it made sense. "Now you're aunt over there," He started and Bella smiled. "Same thing?"

"Nope, plague."

"No marks?"

"Nope, I got the respiratory first and my lungs filled up." Bella said, not ashamed of what happened to her.

"Ahh, so drowning, but more painful." He said and nodded to her. "So, baby? Any particular gender?"

"No, I'm pretty sure that they'll be happy with a boy or a girl. They are such a loving couple that any child will be privileged to have as parents." She said easily. He just nodded and gave her a monumental amount of paperwork.

"Have them fill all these out and get them back to me. I take it you're the go-between since they still must be haunting."

"Have another hundred or so years to go."

"About ten then, if you count as human years for a child. That's not bad. It's always good to have a good, solid place for a child to start growing up in." He said and nodded. Bella took the paperwork and smiled at him. They got up to leave and Kiera looked at her aunt.

"It's for Aunt Barbara and Uncle Adam right?"

"Yup, they need a family." Bella said. Kiera nodded as they made their way back through to the other side, the real world.

"You do too Aunt Bella." She said and smiled. Bella laughed at her niece.

"Never found Mr. Right did I?" She said.

"You never know." Kiera said and shrugged. Bella shook her head and sighed. No, you never did know, but she gave up trying long ago and wasn't about to start looking again."Aren't we going to get started on my powers?" Kiera asked when they returned to her room.

"Not today. We'll get started on Monday with Gwen. I think that she could benefit a lot with you there with her. The mirror is yours, use it to get here, it's big enough for the both of you to use." Bella said as they walked down the stairs to see Beetlejuice and Lydia sitting on the couch together.

"Gwen cried herself to sleep." Lydia said before Bella and Kiera could ask."

"I bet, she cried hard." Bella said.

"Did you go to Bell's house?" Beetlejuice asked.

"Yup and the adoption agency." Kiera said smiling. Lydia and Beetlejuice looked up at Bella in question.

"You want to adopt Bell?" He asked. Bella let out a laugh and shook her head.

"It's for Adam and Barbara, they can't leave the house so I said I'd help them." She explained.

"I hadn't even thought of that. It's perfect for them." Lydia said.

"Speaking of, I better get all this paperwork over to them to get started. They'll want a baby as soon as possible I'm sure. I'll see you on Monday Kiera." Bella said and disappeared. Kiera nodded and turned to her parents.

"You said that you put my body in the Neitherworld ocean, can we go there?" She asked. Beetlejuice and Lydia looked at each other.

"I think we could do that, but as a family all right?" Beetlejuice said. Kiera nodded and smiled at him. She walked over and gave her father a big hug.

"What's that for?" He asked, squeezing her back.

"For loving me." She said and walked back up to her room after giving her mother a hug too. She thought about her father, real father and shuddered. She didn't want to, but he always seemed to be there in her mind.


	10. Lesson One

Sorry I didn't post last night, but I was working so hard on Love Comes in a Striped Suit that it drained me. So here's the next chapter. It's Kiera's first lesson with Bella and she has to go to school and face her friends for the first time since she died. That can't be fun.

Anyway I hope you enjoy. As I've mentioned before I have been drawing portraits of these characters on Deviant Art. If you check them out, please leave me a comment to let me know if you like them or not. I always tend to think of my stories like movies and so when I thought about drawing each character I thought about an actor or actress who could fill that roll, so if they look like someone it's because I used someone to take inspiration from. Coming with random features without a model is way harder than it seems.

Anyway Enjoy and Review.

Loves,

Lace

* * *

"Remember Kier, you can't tell anyone that you're deader than a doornail." Gwen said as they walked to school.

"No kidding Gwen. I thought I'd spill the beans to everyone." She said and rolled her eyes. Gwen looked at her sister and huffed.

"You know what I mean Kier, it's serious and you know how mom went through that crazy time when we were little."

"I know, but I'm not Mom. I'll be fine." Kiera said and grimaced when she spotted Bobby walking towards them. She took a deep breath and held it as he looked at her in awe.

"Kiera, you're alive." Bobby said when he saw Kiera and Gwen walking down the street to their schools.

"No, I died, but I decided to come back and haunt you because I want revenge and I thought I might as well go to school too." Kiera said sarcastically and felt her sister elbow her in the ribs.

"Of course she is." Gwen hissed at him. "Where's your brother?" Bobby looked at Gwen and was a little confused on why she was so angry with him. He didn't do anything that night.

"He had a nightmare so bad after that he grabbed some stuff and left for California early." He said and Kiera just nodded.

"Serves him right, sorry Bobby but it does. No means no and I said I didn't want to into the water."

"Yeah well, that was pretty mean holding your breath for that long. You scared everyone." He shot back, but Kiera just nodded.

"Kiera, hey Kiera!" Tristan called from behind her. Kiera turned to see him running up and Bobby slinked away, not wanting to be blasted again by Gwen.

"Hey Tris." Kiera said.

"I'll see you this afternoon Kier, for our new lessons." Gwen said. She was actually looking forward to seeing her sister try to do magic for the first time. She knew enough to make her feel a little superior to her older sister and couldn't wait to show her.

"See ya Gwenny." Kiera said. Tristan waved to Gwen as she walked by before he turned to Kiera.

"Have a good weekend?" He asked as they started to walk to the high school.

"It was...eventful." She said. Tristan raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't really know what to say.

"What happened? I thought you would have called me yesterday since you're parents were going out of town." He said and he had hoped that she would have, maybe he would have finally gotten a chance to show her how he felt about her.

"Well Gwen set me up on a date." Kiera said.

"Oh?" Tristan tried to not let his anger come through, but he knew when Kiera looked at him that he was busted a little.

"What's the matter with you?" She asked.

"Nothing, was it fun?" He asked tightly and his heart nearly sang when she groaned.

"It was awful Tris, you should have been there, seriously. He found out that I drew and he wanted me to draw him, _him._ Then on top of that we went out to the lake and Gwen and Bobby jumped in, but I didn't want to and he pushed me in and kept dunking me. He..." Kiera had been on such a roll she almost told Tristan the truth and had to stop herself right in the middle of her sentence to gather her thoughts together.

"He what Kier?" He said through his teeth, beyond angry at the guy that Kiera went on a date with.

"He dunked me until I just held my breath and he thought I kicked the bucket." Kiera said and smiled.

"Really?" Tristan asked. He'd known Kiera all of her life and they'd gone swimming a thousand times up at the lake, but she could never hold her breath for longer than thirty seconds.

"Yeah, they were so scared that they took off running, the only bad part is that I scared Gwenny too." Kiera said and frowned.

"Well just as long as the creep never comes around again." Tristan said. He would have to figure out someway to get the guy away from Kiera.

"That's the funny part, Bobby said that he had a nightmare and now he's moved away." Kiera said and frowned a bit. She knew somewhere in the pit of her stomach that her father was involved in it, but she didn't know how.

"Oh, that's too bad." Tristan said and wanted to sing out loud.

"Needless to say I won't be dating for a while." Kiera said. Tristan stopped and looked at her and Kiera stopped to turn around.

"Something wrong Tris?"

"Why wouldn't you date anymore?" He asked. Kiera looked at her best friend and smiled. Cause she was dead was the first thing that rolled in her mind but she dismissed it.

"Why would I need to date when I've got you as my friend?" She said and gave him a hug. He shivered a little, she was really cold.

"Geez Kier, you have the AC blasted all the way up last night or what?" He asked. Kiera remembered all those years ago when her mother had died and she and her sister had noticed how cold she was all of the time. She couldn't hide that fact, but she could shrug it off. People had poor circulation right?

"I guess so." She said in a laugh.

"So what's this lesson that Gwenny was talking about?" He asked.

"Oh it's something that I've started with her and my Aunt Bella. It's about family history and stuff." Kiera said shrugging it off. "Interesting stuff actually. I'll be going Mondays after school with her."

"What about your ballet?"

"I can talk to my dance instructor and just take my lessons on a different day." Kiera said and shrugged. She was actually really looking forward to learning how to control her new powers just like her parents and aunt. It was going to be a lot of fun.

"What are you smiling at?" Tristan asked.

"Just looking forward to this afternoon." Kiera said and winked at him. Tristan smiled as they headed up the stairs to their first class.

"I think I'm gonna be sick." Kiera said and just knew that her face was green. Gwen couldn't help it, she started laughing as Kiera couldn't stop flipping in the air. At first she had almost stomped her foot when Kiera rose without any problems, but controlling yourself in the air was harder than it looked.

"Just relax Kier, you need to find a balance in yourself and you'll stop flipping."

"If..I...don't find...this blanace...soon...I'm gonna...throw up." Kiera said between her flips. She hadn't stopped in over five minutes now and her aunt just sighed, rising up into the air and caught Kiera by her arm before she flipped again. Kiera had no idea her aunt was so strong until she felt Bella grip her arm in a lock and kept her from going around again.

"Now gently start to think about heading down." She said. Kiera nodded and tried to think slowly, but sh was so anxious about getting back down to the solid earth that she fell nearly ten feet before her aunt caught her again. "I said gently." Bella urged. Kiera finished the rest of the way and sat down, her entire body weaving on the couch.

"I feel like my entire head is spinning." She muttered as she weaved.

"You look like it too." Gwen said and laughed.

"Shut up, you can't do much better."

"I've never flipped a hundred times before."

"Cause you can't get off the ground for more than a foot."

"Oh yeah?" Gwen said, with her sister here she wanted to prove that she could do everything that Kiera could. "Watch this." She said and concentrated on rising up in the air. For the first time she was able to rise without getting angry and she was in the middle of the air instead of just hovering.

"Excellent Gwen." Bella said. She knew that all it took was a little competition for Gwen to fully concentrate. That's all it had ever taken for her and B too.

"It's a good start, for both of you and we'll keep working on it. Kiera, you need to find your balance and Gwen," Bella said turning to look at her little niece in the air. "You need to control your emotions, but so far so good."


	11. A New Member

I know it's been longer than usual for me to update, but I was kinda wrapped up in Love comes in a Striped Suit, so forgive me. Anyway I hope you enjoy and there is more to come as soon as I can write it!

Enjoy and Review,

Lacey

* * *

"I really want to go Dad." Kiera begged as she tugged on Beetlejuice's sleeve, she'd been wanting to go see where he and Lydia had placed her body ever since she found out about it. He looked at her, the hope in her eyes as she pleaded with him and relented.

"All right, we'll go." He said and smiled as she floated just a little bit above the air and clapped. She hadn't wanted to go too far because she was still having a lot of problems with her balance and if she did any more flips she really would start to get sick instead of just feeling like she was going to.

"I'll go get Mom and Gwenny." She said and hovered just above the ground as she went to find them. Beetlejuice shook his head, but he had to smile she was pretty good for a beginner and having her there was helping Gwen a lot too. The better Kiera got, the more Gwen wanted to beat her and they were both improving by leaps and bounds. Even Bella had mentioned that Gwen was improving everyday, now that she had someone to practice with she was actually doing it.

"We're going Beej?" Lydia said as she floated down, her own feet hovering on the ground in between the girls.

"Yeah, Kiera finally bugged me into it." He said and she laughed holding out her hand for him to grab. With Beetlejuice's strong magic they were able to head into the Neitherworld without the use of a mirror.

Kiera looked around at the Neitherworld ocean and thought it was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen in her life. The deep emerald green of the ocean against the rich black sand was breathtaking. She was happy that her mother and father decided that this was the place that her body would rest. She did love the ocean and from now on she'd never think of the real world ocean again.

Gwen had never been to any other place outside of her aunt's house in the Neitherworld before and it was nice to see that there were places that she could go if she wanted to get away. Not that she would tell anyone about them, but seeing the ocean she wondered what else there was that she could explore. Maybe bring Kiera along if she felt like it, maybe not. It was strange to think of this place as outside of the real world. Her parents always talked out it like they were on another planet, but were they? She really didn't know where the Neitherworld was and she wasn't sure if her parents did either.

"Well Barbara and Adam finally finished all the paperwork for their new baby. I guess they'll be receiving it sometime next week." Lydia said breaking Gwen out of her thoughts.

"Really? It's kinda weird that Aunt Barbara and Uncle Adam are going to adopt a baby." Gwen said, wrinkling her nose. She knew that they loved children, but at the same time, parents? She wondered if her grandma and grandma liked that there was going to be a baby in the house. She wondered if ghost babies were the same as live ones.

"Why is it so weird." Beetlejuice asked his daughter.

"I don't know, it just is." Gwen said and shrugged turning back to look at the green ocean. "So this is where you dumped the body huh?" She asked and immediately winced at the statement that she made. She had a vivid image of herself holding Kiera's dead body and shivered.

"This is where we let the body go." Lydia said, softly correcting her daughter. Gwen nodded and knew that she had made a mistake when she saw the look on Kiera's face.

"I didn't mean for it to come out like that." She whispered, but Kiera just shook her head. She knew her sister said things without thinking. That wasn't what was bothering her. She knew that her mother and her real father had been fed to the sandworms. Why hadn't she? What was so special about her? She sighed and shook her head looking at her sister.

"Don't worry about it Gwenny." She said and smiled at Gwen. "Do Aunt Barbara and Uncle Adam know if they are getting a boy or a girl?" She asked her mother. Lydia shook her head and looked out over the ocean. The sun was starting to set and two moons had started to rise. One a vibrant green, the other a deep purple causing the glow in the sky to become a mixture of the two. Light purple fading up to blue, then green. It was beautiful and she doubted she'd see another sunset without comparing it to this one.

"They want it to be a surprise when Bella brings them their new baby." She answered.

"We're going to be there right?"

"Of course we are. I don't think I could miss that." Lydia said and looked at her husband. She wished that Adam and Barbara could have been there for the birth of her children, but it wasn't meant to be, they still had so long in that house that it seemed impossible to think about them ever being free like her family was.

"What's the matter Babes?" Beetlejuice asked when he saw the look on Lydia's face. She smiled at him and took his hand in her own.

"Nothing. Just thinking about how lucky we are." He smiled and pulled her in to kiss her, in front of the girls and all. They just rolled their eyes and started to make gagging noises.

"We are really lucky...even if it doesn't seem like it now." He said.

"HEY!" Gwen and Kiera said together making Beetlejuice and Lydia laugh at them.

Barbara paced back and forth as she waited for Bella to arrive with their new baby. It seemed like this day would never come and now that it was here she was so nervous that she could jump on the ceiling at any minute. Adam was annoyingly calm as he watched her pace the room, focused on his model and waiting.

"How can you just sit there when our baby is going to be here at any minute?" She asked turning to look at him.

"I'm just as excited as you are Barbara, but I don't have to spend it all by pacing back and forth." He said as he focused on moving one tree an eighth of an inch to the left. "Perfect." He said and looked up at her smiling. She rolled her eyes and began to pace back and forth again.

"She should have been here by now. What if something was wrong? Oh God Adam, what if we forgot to sign or date something? You know how those bureaucratic types are. Everything must be perfect."

"We went over everything twenty times before we gave it all back to Bella. Everything is fine." He said and before Barbara could say another word Beetlejuice, Lydia and the girls arrived in the attic.

"Did we miss it?" Gwen asked looking around.

"No, she hasn't arrived yet." Barbara said happy that they had come, but frustrated that they hadn't been Bella.

"Calm down Babs, Bell will be here any minute." Beetlejuice said as he watched her pace back and forth.

"I just can't help that something is wrong and we won't get our baby." She said.

"Everything is fine." Lydia said trying to calm her down. Barbara just swallowed the lump in her throat and went to turn to begin pacing again when Bella appeared right in front of her.

"Oh thank God." Barbara said, all worry washing away as she saw that Bella was holding a small infant covered up in a yellow blanket.

"Sorry I'm late, but the adoption agency was so full that I had to start threatening to blow it to Saturn unless someone helped me." Bella said. She straightened up and smiled at Barbara and Adam. "Allow me to introduce you to your new son, this is Carey." Bella said and held out the small, sleeping child to Barbara. She took him in her arms and smiled.

"Welcome to your new home Carey." She whispered and bent down to kiss his feather soft brown hair.

* * *

Just as a sidenote. Carey is Celtic for Pure. I thought it fit, considering he's just a baby and he already died, but besides Beej and Lyds, Barbara and Adam are just about the best ghost parents a kid could get ;) 


	12. Resolving Issues

Nothing's ever simple is it? At least it isn't for me. Last chapter was. Awww, cute! So of course I had to throw something else in the mix right? Yeah, I'm mean like that, but it wouldn't be a very good story if I forgot all the bad issues and ignored them outright, so here it is.

Sidenote to Mnesomne's Tears: Geez, how could you miss the story so much when I updated it just the other day! Man, talk about pressure and now that I said that I just got the song Under Pressure stuck in my head. Great :D Sheesh. Okay ya know I love ya, but I just had to say it! ;)

Enjoy and Review.

Loves,

Lace

* * *

Kiera sat back and thought about how happy her aunt and uncle had been to get their new baby. Why was it that her father couldn't have been the same with her? What was so wrong with her that he didn't want to have anything to do with her? Not that she wanted him to, but still. It itched at the back of her mind and every time she did think about it she wondered. 

When she was seven she'd gone to see him, but the result had been disastrous and she still didn't know anything about him. Well, that wasn't really the case. She knew what her parents told her, but wasn't there always another side to the story?

"What are you thinking about?" Bella asked when Kiera dropped the plate she had been levitating. Gwen giggled and gently set hers down.

"What? Oh, nothing Aunt Bella." Kiera said and looked at the broken plate. Bella didn't believe her little niece. She had becoming increasingly distracted with her sixteenth birthday approaching. At first Bella had dismissed it as just a phase because of her upcoming birthday, but she had been getting worse.

"Gwen, why don't you pack up for today. You've been doing wonderfully and I want to talk with your sister." Bella said. Gwen shot Kiera a look and grabbed her backpack and Kiera rolled her eyes at her younger sister.

"See ya at home sis." She said and disappeared through the large mirror that Bella had set up for them. Bella looked at Kiera and frowned, something was definitely up with her and she wanted to know what it was.

"Over the past few weeks you've been lacking in your work Kiera. You're an excellent student so I want to know what is bothering you." Bella said taking a seat next to her. Kiera looked at her aunt and sighed. How could anyone really understand? If she told Gwen she wouldn't get it and if she told her parents they'd try to explain, but she'd just get the same answers that she had been getting ever since she was seven.

"It's nothing, really." She started, but this time Bella wasn't going to let her get away so easily. She placed her hand strongly on Kiera's and held her tight.

"Like hell it's not. You were thinking about John again weren't you?" She asked and Kiera shot a look at her aunt. "That's what I thought." She said after seeing the look on Kiera's face.

"I can't seem to help it Aunt Bella. He just pops into my mind out of no where. I know that I shouldn't think about it, but it just happens." Kiera blurted out, trying to explain. Bella just put her hand up to silence her niece and smiled.

"Of course it is going to happen Kiera. You had a real trauma in your life and you never resolved it. Your parents did the best they could by explaining everything to you, but you still need to hear everything else." Bella said and saw the relief wash over Kiera's face.

"Yes, finally someone gets it. I just got to thinking about it when we saw you hand over Carey to Aunt Barbara and Uncle Adam. They were so happy that he was there and it just got me thinking about what was so wrong with me that even my own father didn't want to see?" She said.

"Oh Kiera honey," Bella said and pulled her niece into her arms.

"There is nothing wrong with you. I'm sure he had his reasons for doing what he did."

"What were they?" Kiera asked.

"I don't know, the only way you'll really know is if you ask him and hope that he gives you the answers that you need. Good or otherwise." Bella said.

"I don't know about that Aunt Bella, I mean the last time I tried to see him he wanted to kill me." Kiera said and shivered at the thought of visiting him again.

"Well, then I suppose you being already dead is an advantage." Bella said and Kiera giggled a little bit. Bella had to admit that she'd been a little more than curious about this man that hated his daughter so much and seeing Kiera grow over the years it just didn't feel right to her, there had to be more to the story. "Tell me about him, it will make you feel better to get it off of your chest." Bella said and Kiera looked at her aunt. No one ever talked about John, it was like he was taboo in her family and yet her aunt wanted her to talk about him? It seemed strange and illegal, but before she began to think any harder her mouth opened up and everything started to spill out.

"When I found out that Dad wasn't my dad all I could think of was why my real dad, John, would leave me? I made him out to be some sort of knight in shining armor."

"Most little girls tend to do that." Bella said.

"Yeah well, the more I thought about it, the more obsessed I became with finding him. If Mom and Dad were gone I would sneak into their room to see if I could find any sort of information about him and that's how I found the letter with the address on the envelope. I took the envelope and kept it hidden."

"Did you know then that you were going to run away?" Bella asked, but Kiera shook her head.

"I think I just wanted something to hold on to. Something that was real and not made up. I hated what Mom and Dad did and didn't understand the difference of having them try to protect me and lying. That's when I decided to run away."

"What happened? B and Lyds only told me a little."

"He pretty much laughed at me for being so naive that I would come all the way there to see him. He told me that he wanted me there because he wanted revenge. Then he tried to kill me to get to Mom and Dad." Kiera said and remembered being held up by her neck as he held her out the window. She had been terrified then, but as she remembered she focused on his face. He had the look of desperation. She hadn't known it then, but over the years she realized that he was desperate to get something to go his way and holding her out the window was something that he did to get that, even though it failed. He had said that he wanted to kill her to punish her parents. He had said that she would have been stuck there. Kiera had to smile a little bit. If she had died when she was seven then it all would have been for naught. She still would have been free and he would have been stuck without anything.

"I wonder if he was just so wrapped up in revenge that he didn't realize what he was doing?" Bella said, thinking out loud and breaking Kiera of her thoughts.

"I don't know, but you were right."

"About what Kier?" Bella asked raising her eyebrow.

"Talking about it did help." Kiera said and smiled. Bella smiled at her and pulled her little niece in for a hug.

"If you ever need anything or anyone to talk to you know that I'm here for you Kier." Bella said and Kiera nodded.

"You better go on home. Tell everyone I said hi and I'll see you later."

"All right Aunt Bella." Kiera said and grabbed her backpack to head back through.

Bella had been right about Kiera blocking off her past, but she hoped that by talking about it she would unleash all those emotions that she was keeping locked up. She needed to control her emotions, but until she figured out what those were, they couldn't do much more. It was sad to see such a young life wrapped up in so much turmoil, but Kiera had been blocking it all off and she hoped that by talking about it, it would help. Kiera needed to feel everything both good and bad and she knew that the only way she could feel the good was to feel the bad.

Kiera walked in her bedroom and set her backpack down. She'd never talked so much about John before and her aunt had been right, she felt better about it. She looked backpack that she had just set down and she snapped, causing it to rise up in the air. She smiled to herself and let it fall back down.

"So did Aunt Bella yell at you for breaking her plate?" Gwen asked walking into her sister's room.

"Of course not Gwenny, did she ever yell at you for going through her roof?"

"No, so what did you talk about then?"

" We talked about John." Kiera said and heard her sister gasp and put her hand over her mouth.

"You know that Mom and Dad don't like to talk about him. It's like a rule."

"Whatever Gwenny, you were too little to realize everything that happened."

"So not cool Kier, I was old enough to know. Oh, guess what."

"What?"

"Bobby called me." Gwen said and smiled. Kiera just looked at her little sister in awe and shook her head.

"Why would you even want to talk to him? I mean after everything that happened?"

"Oh come on Kier, it wasn't his fault and don't make me feel guilty. I mean, yeah he was there, but he feels really bad about what happened and he still wants to go out with me. He even told me that his brother left town and refused to come back." Gwen said.

"Are you going to?" Kiera asked in a sigh. Sometimes her sister was such...a teenager.

"Going to what?" Gwen asked.

"Go out with him birdbrain. Geez, you're the one that brought it up."

"Oh, I guess so." Gwen said and Kiera smiled at her and shook her head again. "What's so funny?"

"You do know that Dad is going to make you bring him to the house." Kiera said and enjoyed watching her sister pale.

"That is so not fair. How come Dad always scares off boys?" Gwen said and flopped down on Kiera's bed.

"Cause he hates them, he even hates Tristan, which is something I don't get."

"Well duh Kier, he's only head over heels in love with you." Gwen said and rolled her eyes.

"No he isn't." Kiera said. It wasn't the first time that Gwen said that, but it still made her shiver with the thought of her best friend being in love with her.

"God you are so blind. Of course he is. If you went out with Tristan, Dad could have a fit over you and not me." Gwen suggested.

"Get real Gwenny. Tristan is my friend. He doesn't love me like that and it would be weird if he did." Kiera said.

"Whatever, so what do you want to do for your birthday?"

"I have no idea, it's still a few weeks away."

"Can we go someplace? Like France or something?"

"I don't know Gwenny."

"Oh, come on. We have to do something fun." Gwen begged.

"Guinevere, give it a rest. It's my birthday not yours." Kiera said and Gwen just giggled.

"You're too easy Kier." She said and got up from her sister's bed. "I'm heading down for dinner. Mom was going to snap up some spaghetti." She said.

"Wait a minute and I'll join you." Kiera said, fixing her bed where her sister had laid with a snap and walked with Gwen down stairs.

"So how do Babs and Adam like their new bundle of joy?" Kiera and Gwen heard their father ask their mother when they came down the stairs.

"So far they love it, but I guess ghost babies have a stronger wail than live ones do." Lydia said.

"I wonder if Chuck and Delia will get tired of it and move out. Can they even hear it?" Beetlejuice asked after he laughed.

"I think they can and they are trying to live with it, but I think Dad is thinking about building another house on the property so they can live there and give Adam and Barbara the other house so they don't have to hear it. It's been a long time since they have had a baby in the house. I'm not sure if Delia ever had since I was already halfway grown when she married Dad." Lydia said.

"Did I cry stronger than Kiera when I was a baby since I was half ghost?" Gwen asked sitting at the table and laying her head down on Beetlejuice's shoulder.

"I think it was a tie. You both have a strong set of lungs." Lydia told her daughter, who just grinned at her.

"How was your lessons today?" Beetlejuice asked Kiera and Gwen.

"Good, Kiera broke a plate though." Gwen said, still grinning.

"You've done worse." Kiera shot back.

"True." Gwen shrugged and Beetlejuice laughed at her. Sometimes she was so much like him it was scary.

Kiera thought about telling her parents about what she and Aunt Bella had talked about, but she stopped herself. It would just make her parents upset if she brought it up, but she really did want to talk about it, talk about him. She realized that she wanted to see him. Maybe he changed, maybe he would want to talk to her now that she was older. She knew that she couldn't go there alone, but what if she didn't?

"What are you thinking about Babydoll?" Beetlejuice asked Kiera. Kiera looked at her father and smiled. He really was her father and she knew it. She'd known it ever since he and her mother rescued her when she was seven, but that still didn't mean that she didn't want to know about John. Most stories had two sides, what was his? She wanted to know and the only way she could do that was to visit him. As her aunt pointed out, at least she was dead so he couldn't kill her.

"Nothing Daddy." Kiera said and smiled at him. Beetlejuice raised an eyebrow. The only time either of his daughters called him 'Daddy' was when they wanted something or were hiding something.


	13. Confrontation

Yup, John's back. I couldn't have this story without him, could I? Besides Kiera needed to get all these feelings and emotions out.

Hope you enjoy and let me know.

Loves.

Lace

* * *

Kiera laid in her bedroom and stared up at the ceiling. How could she convince her aunt to come with her to see her John? She sighed and didn't know what to do. She needed to get Aunt Bella's sympathy so she could head over there. After talking with her Kiera knew that she needed to see him at least one last time. She wasn't naïve enough to think that he had changed and would accept her, but she did hope that he at least would listen to her while she explain what he did to her. She doubted that she would even get that, but there was always the hope that she would. 

She took a deep breath and got up from her bed and slipped on a pair of jeans and exchanged her long nightshirt that she used as a gown for a black long sleeved shirt with a dark red short sleeved shirt over that. She tried her hand at going though the door instead of opening it to keep the noise down. She slipped out of her bedroom and made her way down the stairs.

"What are you doing?" A voice whispered to her and Kiera froze where she was. She turned to see her sister standing in the living room holding a glass of water.

"I'm going to see Aunt Bella." Kiera whispered back to her. Gwen looked at her sister and cocked her head to the side.

"Why are you going in the middle of the night?" She asked setting her glass down and walked up to her sister.

"Keep your voice down." Kiera hissed and looked up the stairs to see if her parents had heard her sisters big mouth. "I need Aunt Bella's help with something and I have to do it now or else I won't get the nerve again. Don't tell Mom and Dad, please?" She asked. Gwen smiled and smelled a deal with her older sister.

"I won't tell, but you've got to do something for me." She said and Kiera raised her eyebrow.

"What's that?" She asked, afraid of what her sister was going to say.

"You've got to help me with Dad and Bobby." Gwen said and Kiera wanted to gag.

"You're kidding me right?" Kiera asked. She'd rather eat mud than help her with that slime ball. Gwen just smiled.

"Dad?" She called out. Kiera jumped on her sister and clamped her mouth shut with her hand.

"Okay, I give. I'll help you." She hissed. Gwen just grinned and they both froze when they heard a door open.

"Gwenny? Did you call?" Beetlejuice's voice asked down the hallway. Kiera looked at her sister and Gwen just smiled.

"Sorry Dad, did I wake you? I was just wondering if you knew where my backpack was. I forgot to put my homework in it." Gwen called.

"God Gwen, that can wait for the morning, go back to bed." He called and shut the door. Kiera let out a long breath when she heard the door shut and pushed her sister against the floor to push herself up.

"What was that for?" Gwen hissed, rubbing her chest where her sister pushed her.

"For waking Dad up birdbrain. That would have been bad." She said and walked to the front door. "Remember, don't tell anyone where I'm at." Kiera said. Gwen nodded and watched her older sister slip out the front door. She couldn't help but feel a little happy that her sister was running away and she wasn't. Kiera, the perfect angel wasn't so perfect anymore. She wanted to whistle, but she thought better. The last thing she needed was to wake up her parents again.

Kiera knocked on Bella's door in her real world home and waited. Bella's house wasn't too far away from where Kiera lived., even in the same neighborhood. It wasn't long before Bella answered the door tying her robe and looking at Kiera with sleepy eyes.

"What are you doing here Kier?" She asked and yanked her in.

"I need your help Aunt Bella." She said.

"You could have called me."

"Mom and Dad can't know about it." Kiera said, near desperate now. Bella looked at her niece and sighed.

"You need to tell me exactly what is going on Kiera." She said and sat Kiera down on the couch. Kiera looked at her aunt and sighed.

"I need to go see John." She said. Bella took a deep breath and resisted the urge to poof both Kiera and herself to B and Lydia.

"Why do you need to see him Kiera?" Bella asked, trying to remain as neutral as possible.

"Ever since that one day he's always been in my mind. I need him to go away. I need to tell him what he did and how it made me feel. I need to let him go." Kiera said, looking up at Bella. Bella looked down at her niece and shook her head. She did need to do all of those things and Bella couldn't deny it. "I want you to come with me Aunt Bella so I have someone there besides just him. I know that your powers must be ten times what his are so you can help me if I need it." Kiera said.

"You really should tell your parents Kiera. I don't feel right about this if they don't know what is going on."

"How could I tell them? They want him to be exorcized and if they do that then I'll never get a chance to do all of the things that I need to. Please Aunt Bella, you told me that if I ever needed your help you would help me with it." She asked. Bella hated it when they used manipulation on her like that. Kiera usually didn't, but she must have been getting lessons from Gwen. She sighed and nodded her head.

"Let me go upstairs and get changed. I have a feeling that this isn't going to turn out well Kiera, but I'd rather I was there with you instead of you going by yourself." She said and Kiera threw herself around her aunt.

"Thank you Aunt Bella. I knew you'd help me." Kiera said, relief flooding to her face. Bella gently pulled Kiera away from her and started to walk to her bedroom. She wanted to call B, but she promised Kiera that she wouldn't. She knew Kiera was telling the truth about her brother. He would have John exorcized without thinking twice and Kiera would be left with all the heaviness on her heart. She couldn't do that to her little niece. It wouldn't be right to do that.

Kiera allowed herself to breath when her aunt left to go get dressed. She made it past the first part, now it was just everything else she had to do. She got a flutter in her stomach thinking about the last time she had seen him and forced herself to ignore those feelings. She needed to do this even if she didn't want to.

Bella came back down from her room dressed in a pair of jeans and a blue button down shirt. She sighed and held out her hand for Kiera to grab.

"This is it Kiera, you're last chance to back out and I can take you home." She said, but Kiera shook her head.

"I have to do this Aunt Bella and you know I do." She said. Kiera just nodded and squeezed her aunt's hand.

"Think of the place that you want to go to Kiera. Think of what it looks like and where it is." Bella said softly and Kiera closed her eyes, envisioning the large castle like mansion that she'd visited all those years ago.

When she opened her eyes they were there, in the middle of the front yard. It was still the middle of the night and the gargoyles looked even more menacing against the moonlight.

"This is the place where he haunts?" Bella asked looking at the large decomposing mansion.

"Yeah." Kiera said and pulled herself closer to her aunt.

"Doesn't look like he has much haunting to do does it?" She said. Kiera just shook her head and they started walking towards the house.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" Bella asked when they walked inside.

"It looked like the house had been abandoned for years." Kiera said as she looked around. The last time it had been dirty, but it still looked like it was livable. Now, it was just an old and crumbling building.

"It certainly does. Now, where do you think he is?" Bella asked.

"When I was here last time he was up in his room." Kiera said.

"Show me." Bella said and allowed herself to be led up the stairs by her scared niece.

John heard noises down the stairs, but shrugged. He could care less if people were screwing around down there. He didn't like to leave his room anyway. If any of them came up here he'd give them a scare, but for now it was fine. He lit a cigarette and blew smoke rings until he heard his door open and saw two women walking through it. Correction, one woman and one girl, teenager really. The girl looked scared out of her mind, but she was pretty enough. Reminded him of his ex girlfriend all those years ago. Rich black hair and soft green eyes. He guessed she was about sixteen, maybe seventeen years old. The woman was something else entirely. She had long soft brown hair and calculating grey eyes. He liked those eyes as they measured him up and down, even though her face was neutral he could see that she was sizing him up as she held onto the girl.

"What can I do for you girls?" He asked and smiled at them, crushing his cigarette against the floor.

"Do you know who I am?" Kiera asked in a slight stammer.

"Well you look familiar, but I don't think we've met before. Kinda restricted to the house you see. Wouldn't mind getting to know ya though, both you and your mom." He said and winked at Bella. Kiera looked up in a mixture of confusion and revulsion. Did she really just get hit on by the man who was her biological father? It was too gross to think about.

"I'm not her mother, I'm her aunt. My name is Bella." Bella said squeezing Kiera's shoulder tightly.

"Doesn't ring a bell." He said and shrugged.

"Maybe mine will. My name is Kiera, Kiera Juice." She said. John looked at the girl before it all clicked into place. He smiled at her which made her shrink down.

"Ah, my little girl came back to see her daddy. How nice." He said. "You're big bad papa bear around to try and scare me?" He asked her. Kiera held her breath and put on a brave face.

"I came on my own with my aunt."

"I'm Beetlejuice's sister just so you know." She said, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Thank God you don't look like him or else I would have thrown your ass out." He said and looked down at Kiera, his soft green eyes boring into hers. "That goes double for you girl, if I had recognized you.. Now what do you want from me?" He hissed. Kiera shrank back at the tone of his voice, but she was there for a reason and she wouldn't let him bully her anymore.

"I needed to talk to you." She stammered.

"So talk, no one's stoppin' ya." He said. Kiera took a deep breath and looked at her aunt who just kept staring at John, her eyes narrowed.

"When I found out about you I thought that you'd want to see me. Then you kept me hostage to get my parents here. Do you know how much that hurt me?" She asked. He looked at her as she poured her heart out to him.

"Does it look like I give a rat's ass?" He asked.


	14. Dark Feelings

Sorry it took so long to post. I actually had this written last night, but I wanted some feedback first. So here it is...John...What else can I really say but this is just the beginning of some things that I have working up in my crazy mind.

I had a crap day yesterday so I had to work on something dark. Just can't do comedy when you feel like shit ya know what I mean?

Anyway hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.

Loves,

Lace

* * *

Kiera blinked at him and couldn't find her voice. She knew that he probably wouldn't care, but that didn't stop her from feeling the soft blow either. 

"I just don't get it little girl." John said shaking his head, his voice icy. He hopped down from the window seat, where he had been sitting and began to walk toward her. Bella pulled Kiera back and stood in front of her, not saying anything to John, but keeping her cold grey eyes on him.

"What don't you understand?" She asked him.

"I wasn't talking to you Woman, I was talking to little girl behind you." John said and pushed past her to reach for Kiera. Bella shoved his shoulder when he reached past her.

"Don't touch her." She hissed at him, her anger growing.

"It's okay Aunt Bella." Kiera said and pushed past her aunt. "What don't you understand?" She asked him. John smiled down at her, the girl had guts, he'd give her that.

"Last time you were here I tried to kill you. What makes you think I won't try it again" He asked her, smiling down at her in a cold smile.

"I never thought you wouldn't try it again. You could try to kill me until the cows came home and it wouldn't do you any good." Kiera said smiling.

"Why's that?" John asked.

"Cause I'm already dead _Dad. _I wouldn't have come otherwise. So, like I said you've been my nightmares ever since I was seven years old. It has to stop now." She said.

"What exactly does that have to do with me?" He asked. So, the girl was dead. Now that she'd said it he did notice that her skin had a slight blue hue to it. Not enough to make her noticeable, but still. He was just about to say something else to her when his mind began to race. She's dead, but she's here? How is the possible? He stared at her and Bella noticed it and started to pull Kiera behind her again.

"You're dead?" He asked and Kiera smiled.

"That's right." She said.

"You're walking around."

"Yup. So even if you had killed me all those years ago, it would have been for naught."

"How…" He asked looking at her, growing angry. He could feel the dead blood start to pump behind his eyes and he welcomed it.

"Under eighteen means your innocent. I was given the choice. You weren't." Kiera said in the snottiest voice she could muster up, copying Gwen. "I'm free and you're stuck." She sneered.

"You little bitch. You came here to just torment me didn't you? You knew that I couldn't wrap my fingers around you and you thought you'd make fun of me." He said, his anger taking over him fully and he held up his hand to backhand her. Kiera shrank back and Bella stepped in front of him and put herself in between him and Kiera.

"Don't you dare touch her." She said in a voice that reminded Kiera very much of her father.

"Get out of the way Woman. I will do what I have to and slap that pretty face of yours." He hissed.

"You touch me or touch my niece and you'll be sitting in that office for more years picking up your pieces." She spat at him. "I'm more powerful than your tiny brain can begin to comprehend."

John looked at the fiery woman and had to smile. He'd never had a woman stand up to him like she was.

"You think you can get rid of me that easy little girl? You think you've been tormented by me for your little life? You don't know the meaning of the word and you'll never get rid of me. I'm in you and I'll always be there, tucked deep inside you. You said you were innocent? Hah, you'll never be completely innocent, you'll always have a black stain on you and you'll always know that it's from _dear old dad_." He said around Bella. Kiera shivered at the words and rubbed her arms as she looked at him and he knew he'd won the battle.

"Kiera I want you to go downstairs and wait for me. I'm going to have a talk with him for a moment." Bella said, not turning to look at Kiera.

"But…" Kiera said.

"No, you will not stay back there. You will leave and give me time alone with him. I want you to go completely downstairs and not stand out in the hallway." Bella said keeping her eyes on John. He just smiled at her in his cold smile that caused Kiera to shiver again.

"Okay Aunt Bella." Kiera said. She wanted to stay there, but she knew when her aunt meant business and sometimes she was scarier than her dad was. She quietly walked out of the room.

"Shut the door Kiera." Bella said. Kiera frowned and John saw it.

"Better do what Auntie says little girl. Wouldn't want to make her upset." He said. Kiera frowned at him and shut the door. She wanted to stay in the hallway, but she knew better. She walked down the stairs and waited down at the base of them for her aunt. She'd said what she'd came to say. She knew that he wouldn't be warm and loving to her and she felt better knowing that she had confronted him.

Bella continued to stare at John until she knew that Kiera was downstairs and couldn't hear anything.

"She's a strong one, like her aunt." He said and continued to smile at her. Bella wasn't phased by his compliments. She could sense his kind a mile away, charming as a snake until they bite you. Without warning she lifted him into the air and threw him against the wall.

"She is a little girl and you talk to her like that?" She hissed at him. "What Lydia saw in you is beyond me. You're handsome enough, but there's nothing good in you. She must have seen that." She said. John shook his head and stared at her. He knew that he should have been beyond rage by now, but having a woman try to put him in his place was amusing.

"Evidently not my dear. Course then again, I wasn't always this bitter, but that's another story." He said getting up from the floor and advanced on her. Bella didn't move back, but stopped him with force.

"Don't come near me." She hissed.

"Why? Afraid you'd want to do something? When is the last time you got laid huh, you're certainly gorgeous enough to have suitors follow you, even in death." He said circling her. Bella narrowed her eyes at him.

"That is certainly none of your business." She hissed.

"Oh, did I touch a nerve?" He asked. "I think you like this, the bad boys and that is certainly what I am." He said smiling at her.

"Your games won't work on me. You can't scare me." She said.

"I know, I like it. I've never seen a woman so defiant to fear like you are. Normally I would have pounded you into the ground by now, but you're different." He said. Bella felt uneasy ground and needed to get back to safer territory.

"You said that Kiera doesn't know the meaning of the word torment. You don't think finding out the man you thought was your father isn't, then finding out that your biological father is an ass isn't enough? Not to mention the fact that she was murdered." She said. John raised an eyebrow and stopped circling her.

"Murdered?" He asked, his interest piqued.

"Yes, murdered. Some boy drowned her to death." She said. That made John stop and think for a moment.

"Interesting." He said.

"How else do you think she died?"

"I really didn't care enough to think about it, but drowning. There's worse ways to go." He said and shrugged. "At least she doesn't have a long scar down her body." He said pointing to his face.

"There are more scars?" Bella asked, her own interest piqued, despite herself. He smiled at her and it made her shiver.

"Oh yes, would you like to see?" He asked and she frowned at him.

"You never answered my question." She said.

"You're right, why should I?" He asked. He was enjoying this banter that he was having with this woman.

"Because I asked." She said simply, she couldn't think of any other reason. He laughed again, high with a slight hint of insanity running through it.

"I'm tired of talking." He said and reached out to grab her, pulling her into him. Bella struggled against his grasp, but not enough to use her powers. She began to get scared, not because of him, but because she wasn't fighting as hard as she could and should have been.

"You've got fire running from your mouth. I want to know what it tastes like." He said and pressed his mouth to hers. Bella wanted to be disgusted, but the last time she'd been kissed was over six hundred years ago and it was a shy kiss by some boy who wanted to marry her. She felt herself giving into him as he took her, draining her of all her energy.

John wanted her, badly and he found himself enjoying her struggle with him. He knew that she was struggling with herself as she gave in and he took it. He pushed her back against the wall and tore at her blouse.

Bella pushed him away with what little strength she had left and it was enough to throw him against the other wall.

"What's the matter Woman? Afraid that you'll like it too much?" He asked smiling at her. Bella looked at him and shook her head.

"It's beyond wrong and I can't do it." She said trying to button her blouse, but realized that he'd torn the button's off. John just brought her to him and she tried to fight against him. He was an ass, horrible and revolting and she wanted it, every bit of it, every bit of him. He smiled at her when she looked at him, frustration and confusion clear in her grey eyes. He kissed her again, hard and she gave into his power, unable to help herself.


	15. John

Okay, so for some strange reason I woke up at 4:30 this morning and couldn't go back to sleep. I hate that and it's been happening a lot lately...grr...Oh well, I decided to do some writing so here it is.

Wow, I never thought I'd get such a strong reaction to the last chapter. Well, okay maybe I did, but I didn't do it just for the shock factor, although that was fun too. Hee. Anyway there are ALWAYS two sides to every person and John isn't just the world's biggest asshole just because. I wanted him to be more complex than "just the bad guy". I mean I've done all this work to make these characters SEEM believable and I hope that I've pulled it off, so why leave John in the dust? That doesn't seem very fair? Does it?

Well I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.

Loves,

Lace

* * *

"That was wrong, so wrong. I can't believe I just did that." Bella muttered to herself as she walked around John's torn up room and put on her clothes. She fixed her blouse and went to find her shoes. 

"Come on, you were screaming just like I was Woman." He said lazily from the bed. She just turned to stare at him.

"That never should have happened, ever. It was sick and wrong."

"I think I should take offense at having sex with me being called sick and wrong. One of those times did make your little niece you know." He said sarcastically to her and got up. Bella just rolled her eyes and snapped him dressed too. The last thing she needed was for her niece to come walking back into the room and see him naked.

"Whatever, this never happened." She said and felt like she needed to take a shower. At least it had been quick. There hadn't been any foreplay, no special holding moments, just pure and simple sex with a ghost that made her sick to her stomach. God, she had to get out of here.

Kiera laid down on the cold steps, bored out of her mind. She hadn't heard anything, but that was probably the point. Far enough away that if they were fighting she wouldn't have to hear about it. It felt like it had been forever, surely they weren't fighting this whole time. She got up and stretched making her way back up to the room.

"Yeah sure, never happened." John said and rolled his eyes. "You'll be back for me. Once a woman has some of me, she can't resist." He said and smiled. Bella drew her eyes together and just shook her head.

"That's disgusting…" Bella started, but heard the door open and whipped around. Kiera walked in to see her aunt standing next to John, her hands behind her back while John gave her a smile.

"Get bored little girl?" He asked her. Kiera raised an eyebrow and looked at them.

"Yes, what were you doing up here?" She asked.

"Nothing." Bella said before John had a chance to answer. Kiera looked at her aunt's guilty face and John's smile and back again.

"OH MY GOD. You didn't Aunt Bella. Oh, that's so gross." Kiera said and threw her hand over her mouth.

"Ya know, my good mood is starting to go away now." John said, but the smile still remained.

"Don't you dare tell your father Kiera." Bella warned her niece.

"How could you?" She asked.

"I don't know."

"It was the heat of the moment little girl." John said. Bella looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"That's right, just something that happened." Bella said. Kiera couldn't help herself she just shook her head and tried not to imagine her aunt and him.

"But he's such an…ass." She said, confused. Bella looked and her niece and sighed. How to tell an almost sixteen year old that sometimes you can forget yourself when there is that much lust in a space. Maybe it was because she hadn't had any sort of physical relationship in so long that it had all built up.

"Ya know, I wasn't always this way." John spat out.

"Yeah right, I believe that one." Kiera said, feeling braver now that she had something over on him. If her father did find out then he would be exorcized without a second thought and never be a dark cloud hanging over her head again.

"You think people are born assholes little girl? Yeah right, or else they would probably be shot at by jerks like your 'Daddy' the moment they're born." He spat out.

"So what happened to you?" Kiera asked. John looked at the girl, his daughter. She looked like her mother except for her eyes. His eyes and they were challenging him.

"Like I should tell you anything."

"I don't believe you." Kiera said point blank. He raised his eyebrow at her, the girl did have moxie.

"All right little girl, you wanna know?" He asked, amused at her spirit. The things one did when they had blackmail. If John prided one thing in himself, it was self preservation. "Those people who arrived to tell you that I was 'Dear Old Dad' aren't my real parents. They're more sleazy than I ever thought of bein'." He spat out, disgusted with himself.

"How's that?" Bella asked, gentler than her niece would have. She grabbed Kiera's hand and sat down on the bed she just had sex in, holding her niece close to her. She had a feeling that it was a rarity to have John open up about anything.

"Those two decided that the best way to impress their friends was to do a little charity work and adopt a kid, me. I was just old enough to know what was going on, but young enough to be naïve. Took me here and dropped me down, forgot about me. All my stupid dreams falling apart the first time I got hit." He said. Kiera looked at him and blinked. He smiled at her and ran his hand through his hair. "Don't get me wrong little girl, I'm still one hundred percent asshole, I'll admit to that with pride, but it all has to start somewhere." He said.

"Why did you dump my mom when she told you she was pregnant with me?" Kiera asked.

"Dumb question. I thought you woulda figured that out by now. I never wanted little brats hanging around and I didn't love your mother. She was good for a good time, but then she started to be bitchy when she found out I was takin' her cash and getting smack for it." He said.

"It's sad what happened to you when you were younger, but you had a choice and still do. You can choose to be an ass and drive everyone away, or you can change." Bella explained. John just looked at her and shook his head.

"You can paint a leopard till it's all black, but you can't change the fact that it's got spots. Why would I change? I'm stuck in this house that I grew up in. Every time I go out of this room I remember a slap here, or a kick there. Not the happiest place on earth and I like being an ass. Keeps the do gooders away. Speaking of which, it's about time you got outta here. My patience has worn thin and the only reason I'm in such a good mood is cause I got a little action out of it." He said.

"You were wrong.." Kiera said looking at him as she got up from the bed that she was sitting on.

"On what little girl?" John asked looking down at her.

"I won't have a black stain on me forever." Kiera said and smiled at him coldly.

"How do you figure that one kid?" He asked.

"I can change, unlike you." She said and grabbed her aunt's hand to leave. John just stared at them when they started to disappear and were gone. He didn't care what they thought about him and he could kick himself for telling them about his childhood, but the things you do after you get laid. He gave a little smile to himself and pulled out a cigarette to light it. She'd be back, he could see in her eyes that she had a wild streak in her a mile long and he was just the ticket for her to let it out on.

Bella and Kiera arrived back at her house just as the sun was rising up. It had been a long night and Bella was tired.

"This is just a secret between us Kier, if your father finds out we'll both get in trouble." Bella said.

"I'm not stupid Aunt Bella. If Dad finds out then I'll get in trouble for going there too. I don't think I'll have any more nightmares anymore though." She said and smiled.

"Why's that?"

"All I'll see now is a little boy who is scared." Kiera said and slipped out the door before her aunt could reply. She smiled when Kiera closed the door. John didn't realize it, but he gave his daughter all the strength in the world and now she would be more powerful than any of them could have predicted. Bella thought about her time alone with John and shivered. He was right, she did scream and it was good, but she could resist that. She wouldn't be back to him, it was just the heat of the moment thing that he had said to Kiera. Maybe it was time to start looking for someone to be with, a good someone. Maybe John was just a stepping stone for her, bad boy who will get you in trouble first then someone good. She smiled to herself and made a mental note to ask Lydia if she knew anyone who would be interested in going on a date, she'd never been on one and it sounded like fun.

* * *

A full backstory description on John is on my profile in the Updates section. If you are interested in seeing how and why John is the way he is, you can find it there. I hope you enjoy and I'll update sometime soon. :) Lacey


	16. Duty Calls

Just a few quick announcements. I have offically changed my homepage to my DeviantArt page because I never go to my Myspace anymore. I've been drawing a lot of characters from this story and other stories and I do a lot of other BJ work. I don't have any formal training, the last time I took an art class was when I was 14 and that was 10 years ago, so this is all pretty new to me.

Also I put up updates on my profile of different things that I've been working on. Which story is going where and why type of deal. I actually put an entire backstory of John on there because I thought it was important to know that. When I first started the Devil's in the Details I had no idea that this is where it was going to end up. This is like a rough draft. I write and post. I don't have all of this locked in my computer that I have been working on. I have printed out Devil's in the Details and am going back and revising and once I am done with that I will post it again all updated. Knowing now how things go later on can give me a good idea of what needs to be fixed in the first story and I can change some character flaws that I didn't see the first time.

Also, school is coming up and I've been working on 3 stories at the same time which means that updates aren't as frequent as they have been in the past. Don't fear because I will always work on them and update as quickly as possible, but it might take a little longer than what I've done before.

Also there's a little plotting going on that the idea came from mywikedlyweirdnature: Love ya Babes! You always give me great ideas ;)

Okay, that's all I got. Hope you enjoy.

Lace

* * *

Kiera slipped back inside her house and prayed that no one was up yet. It had been a long night and she just wanted to get some sleep before she had to get up. She smiled to herself and shook her head. She was glad that she'd confronted him, but it gave her the creeps that her aunt actually did that with him. It was beyond disgusting, but at least that was some blackmail on both her aunt and John. Without that Aunt Bella might have squealed on her and told her dad where they went and she did get to use it on John, making him come clean about his past. Like she told her aunt, now all she saw was a scared boy instead of a monster. She kept her smile as she walked up the stairs to her room. 

"What happened?" Gwen whispered. Kiera had to blink a few times when she saw her sister on top of her bed instead of in her own room.

"What are you doing in my room Gwen?" Kiera whispered back and yawned.

"I wanted to find out what happened." Gwen said and moved over so Kiera could lay down. Kiera just shrugged and fell on her bed, closing her eyes.

"I got what I needed to get and then we left." Kiera said, her eyes closed.

"You mean he said that he was sorry and stuff?" Gwen asked.

"No, but I didn't expect him to. I told him what I wanted to tell him and that's the end of it Gwen." Kiera said. She wasn't about to tell her what their aunt did. It still gave her the creeps.

"So it was good then?" Gwen asked.

"I guess so."

"Good, so this is what I want you to do when Bobby comes over." Gwen started and Kiera groaned.

"I don't want to hear about this right now Gwen. It's bad enough that you're making me pretend that I like him, do we have to talk about it right now?" She asked and pulled her pillow over her eyes.

"Yes, he'll be here tomorrow night for dinner and I want you to make sure that Dad doesn't do anything and make sure that you tell Dad that you like him so much."

"Basically lie through my teeth." Kiera muttered. "Great, more lying to do."

"Knock it off Kiera, it's important to me." Gwen said. When Kiera didn't say anything more, Gwen huffed and she just knew that her sister had fallen asleep on her. She got up and crept into her own room to get some sleep before their parents woke up. The last thing she needed was to try and explain why she was in her sister's room without sounding like a baby.

"Kier, get up." Beetlejuice said knocking on Kiera's bedroom door and opening it. Kiera just groaned and threw her pillow over her head. Beetlejuice raised an eyebrow at that, usually Gwen was the one who didn't want to get up and go to school, not Kiera. "Somethin' wrong Kier?" He asked sitting down on her bed. Kiera peaked out from underneath her pillow and looked at her dad, yawning.

"No, just couldn't sleep last night, that's all." She said and stretched.

"Uh huh, well get downstairs and get some breakfast before you take off for school." Beetlejuice said. Kiera repressed a groan and replaced it with a yawn.

"Okay Dad." She said in her yawn and waited for him to leave before she threw herself back onto her bed to fall asleep for a few more minutes.

Beetlejuice walked downstairs where Lydia was and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Kiera's sleepin' in." He said. Lydia raised an eyebrow, but shook her head.

"Everyone's entitled to a rough start, even Kiera." She said. Beetlejuice just shook his head and couldn't help but worry a little. Kiera had always been the go-getter and wanting to head off to school early. He couldn't remember a single day where she didn't get up early and was ready to go before everyone else. Gwen floated down, her feet a foot off of the ground and grinned.

"Mornin'." She said and scrunched up her face, making a bowl of cereal appear. She looked up and grinned wider, showing the dimples on her face.

"You've been practicing." Lydia said and smiled at her youngest daughter who beamed at her.

"Yup, I'm getting better too, Aunt Bella says so."

"I know it, she told us just the other day." Beetlejuice said and ruffled her hair.

"Hey Dad, I wanted it to look that way." She said and started patting her hair back down.

"Like what? A giant fuzz ball?" He asked and Gwen scrunched her face up again and a small mirror appeared. She snatched it up and looked at it.

"It does not look like a giant fuzz ball Dad." She said looking through in the mirror. He chuckled at her and just messed her hair up again.

"DAD…hey, that looks pretty good." She said and he had to roll his eyes while Lydia giggled. "So I have someone that's coming over tonight." Gwen said looking at her parents and knowing that they were in a good mood.

"Oh yeah? Who's that?" Beetlejuice asked making a cup of coffee appear and taking a sip.

"Bobby." Gwen said and Beetlejuice spit out his coffee.

"Bobby? That better be short for Roberta." He said and scowled.

"_Dad_, I really like him." Gwen whined.

"Wait a minute…Bobby." Lydia said and narrowed her eyes. Gwen shrank back into her chair and fiddled with her spoon. "That's the boy who's brother…" Lydia started, but couldn't finish.

"WHAT!" Beetlejuice roared and Gwen kept her eyes on her spoon. "You mean to tell me that you want to bring one of the boys over who…" He couldn't finish it either, he was so angry.

"DAD, Kiera likes him. It's okay." Gwen whined again and looked at him through her lashes, batting them.

"Kiera likes who?" Kiera asked walking down and throwing her hair into a pony tail.

"Bobby, you said so yourself last night." Gwen said and looked at her sister. Kiera scowled at her.

"No I…" She started and Gwen's eyes widened up. "Oh yeah…it's okay Dad, I'm all right with it." Kiera said and felt some bile rise up from her stomach at the thought.

"I'm not fucking all right with it. He's partly responsible for you, you're…" He roared. Lydia looked at him and narrowed her gaze.

"Dad, it's okay, seriously." Kiera said calmly. "I'll have Tristan over here too, so don't worry."

"Tris…" He said and couldn't help himself, he sank back down into his chair. "You girls are going to be the death of me." He said and shook his head. Kiera couldn't help but giggle. She walked over and gave him a kiss on the cheek and a little squeeze.

"You're already dead Dad." She said and grabbed Gwen by the collar of her blazer. "Let's go." She said. Gwen yelped when her sister grabbed her and watched as Lydia walked over to Beetlejuice and put her hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently.

"Don't worry Beej, everything will be all right. Tristan is a good kid and we don't know this Bobby guy, he might be all right." Lydia said calmly. Beetlejuice just looked at her like she had a growth on the side of her face.

"His brother killed Kiera Lydia, how can you even begin to think that he's okay?" He asked, his voice more serious than she'd ever heard before.

"I trust our daughters Beej." She said and left it at that. He opened his mouth, but couldn't argue with that. If he did then it would sound like he didn't trust their daughters and he did, well mostly. He just didn't trust the boys. Especially that Tristan kid. He'd seen him hanging all over Kiera before and his eyes narrowed. He had to come up with something to prove that he wasn't overreacting, even if Lydia thought that he was. He tapped his fingers trying to think of something and then he smiled.

"What are you thinkin' about Babe?" Lydia asked when she saw Beetlejuice smile and knew that it couldn't be good.

"Oh…nothin'." He said and got up from the table to walk upstairs to Kiera's room. Just planting a few little traps for the little good boy that had the wool over his wife's eyes. He'd deal with the other one later.

"Ugh, I can't believe you made me say that. I feel like I have to brush my teeth again." Kiera said and rubbed her teeth with her finger. Gwen just rolled her eyes at her sister.

"Knock it off Kier, you can't hate Bobby that much." She said.

"Wanna make a bet?" Kiera spat back.

"Why do you hate him?"

"Do you not get the fact that he is related to the guy who," She said and stopped walking. "Killed me?" She finished in a whisper. Gwen looked at her sister.

"It wasn't his fault that it happened. It was an accident." Gwen said and started to walk again.

"Yeah it is his fault. If he hadn't suggested that we go to the lake then it never would have happened and I'd be alive today." She said. She grabbed Gwen's arm to look at her, her soft green eyes begging with her sister's clear deep blue ones.

"You're walking around, you can do whatever you want, you have powers now. I'd say you've got a pretty good deal." Gwen said. Kiera kept her hand firmly on her sister's arm.

"You don't get it Gwenny, I'm dead. I'll never be alive, I'll never grow up, I'll never get married and have kids. Never. Yeah I have powers, so what?" She said. She had to make her sister understand the severity of the situation, but she saw that Gwen just wasn't connecting the pieces up.

"So what you're saying is that you'll never have to get old, you'll never have to worry about some guy breaking your heart and you'll never have to be in labor. Sounds like a good deal." Gwen said and yanked her arm back. Kiera felt the tears rising up in her eyes and she shook her head. Gwen just wasn't going to get it and there was no way for Kiera to make her see that Bobby might be more responsible for her death that his own brother. Derek was the one who pushed her under, but he didn't know that she was running out of breath. Bobby was the one who suggested the lake and was the first one in the lake to go swimming. If Bobby and Gwen had just stayed on the shore…who knows? Kiera brushed the tears away from her eyes and sniffed, composing herself before she caught up with Gwen who was talking with Bobby.

"So Kiera, you're gonna help me make a good impression with your Dad huh?" Bobby asked and Kiera narrowed her eyes at the smugness in his voice.

"I suppose so." She said through her teeth. It took everything she had not to send him up in the air, one of her specialties, courtesy of Aunt Bella.

Beetlejuice knew that it was wrong, but it was the only way he could figure out to show Lydia that Tristan was just after his little girl. He grabbed a pair of his boxers and shoved them into Kiera's drawer. If she found them he could just say that they were mixed up in the wash, but if Tristan found them. He smiled at the possibilities that laid before him. He could thrash the kid until he was black and blue and the thought made him happy. The little creep was up to something, if he guessed right and it was the underwear drawer then he'd have one less creep to worry about. He had seen the look of disgust in Kiera's eyes when she said that she didn't mind that Bobby kid over, but he knew better than that. Something was up, Kiera would never give into her sister that easily, unless of course Gwen had something over on Kiera, but what?

Beetlejuice disappeared out of his daughter's room and appeared in the middle of Bella's living room. Bella walked in and nearly screamed when she saw her brother sitting on her couch, one leg crossed over his knee as he lounged.

"Geez B, you scared the daylight's out of me." She said and grabbed her chest.

"Have you noticed anything strange about Kiera?" He asked. Bella felt everything go out of her body as she looked at her brother. Kiera wouldn't have told him, she'd get into trouble too, but still.

"What do you mean B? I haven't noticed anything strange about her." She said trying to sound as casual as she could. Beetlejuice merely raised an eyebrow at his sister and waited for her to sit down.

"What's with you Bell, you seem…jittery." He said. "Too much coffee?"

"Probably." She muttered and smiled at him.

"Uh huh, listen Bell, I know we pulled a lot of pranks when we were younger. Hell, that's why you were my favorite, but you wouldn't keep something serious from me would you?" He asked. Bella felt a wave of guilt sweep over her as she thought about John and their little visit to him.

"I wouldn't keep anything really bad from you B." She said and gave a little smile to him. He looked at her and she felt his gaze calculating her movements, but she held her ground. If Kiera had gotten into trouble with John then she would have told him, but the trip had been good, for her anyway and B didn't need to know about the other. It was her and Kiera's secret to have. Aunt and niece bond that wouldn't be broken, least of all by her.

"Just remember Bell, pranks and games are all well and good when we were kids, but not now." He said and got up.

"Since when did you get all serious B? You're the last person to be giving me advice on how to behave." She said and frowned at him. Beetlejuice just looked at his little sister and gave her a little smile.

"Since I became a father Bell. Can't pull pranks when your kids are at stake. I already lost one of them and now Kiera's dead and I can't help but feel a little responsible for it. It was my suggestion to go away for the weekend. If we hadn't…" He dropped his sentence.

"It wasn't your fault B, it was those bastard kids." Bella said hearing the pain in her brother's voice.

"Yeah that's what bother's me so much. Gwen wants to have one of the boys over for dinner tonight and Kiera said that she's okay with it." He said. Bella drew her eyes together and frowned deeper.

"What do you mean one of the boys?"

"The youngest one. The one I didn't send away." He said.

"And Kiera said that she's all right with that. That doesn't seem like her." Bella said. Beetlejuice just nodded at her.

"Just keep an eye on her okay Bell. She's been acting a little strange lately. The last thing I need her to do is to go running away, possibly see that Asshole again." He said and felt rage pouring through him.

"What makes you say that she would even do a thing like that?" Bella asked.

"She's her mother's daughter and she likes to have all the answers. If she thinks she can get some from that son of a bitch then she'll do it. That reminds me, he should be whole again. I think it's time I paid him a little visit and did a little exorcizing of my own." Beetlejuice said and smiled, rubbing his hands together. Bella felt like she was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"Why can't you just leave him be?" She asked. Beetlejuice raised an eyebrow at her and frowned.

"As long as he's around, he'll always be a threat Bell. You of all people should know that after what I've told you." He said and left. Bella knew that if she told Beetlejuice that she met him and he was more miserable than ever just being there, that he would probably let him be, but then she'd reveal that she'd met him. She stomped her foot to the ground. What was she going to do?


	17. Dinner Dates

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update, but with work and getting ready to start school again I just didn't have a lot of time. Besides all that it took me a little bit to figure out where I wanted this story to go.

Now that I have a whole week off I can concentrate more on my stories before school and work start up again, then I really will have very little time to sit down and work on them, but I hope to continue to update regularly.

Anyway here it is, the dinner...

Hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.

Lacey

* * *

Bella paced back and forth after Beetlejuice left. What was she going to do? On one hand she could just let her brother do what he does best and get rid of John for good, on the other hand he would probably suffer more if he was left alone with his own thoughts. She stopped and got a very vivid memory of her time with him. She couldn't deny that she didn't like it. She did, but it had also been a very long time. There was just something different about him. Something that made her feel wild again and it had been so long since she'd truly felt like herself. 

Beetlejuice had settled down so much and all he really cared about anymore was protecting his family, which he should, but Bella didn't have a family of her own. She wanted that wild feeling again back again, she had gone so long without it. Bella looked at herself in the mirror and made her decision, she would go talk to John. If nothing else she could figure out what she was going to do. She disappeared out of her living room leaving it empty, void of any presence that had been there.

Beetlejuice sulked as Lydia moved around him poofing dishes for dinner and making everything perfect.

"I just don't understand why boys have to come over." He said and slumped down in his chair. Lydia laughed at him and leaned over to kiss him.

"We have two beautiful girls, of course boys are going to come around. Just be thankful that Tristan is around Kiera to protect her." Lydia said and Beetlejuice bolted up.

"Protect her? Are you blind Lyds? The boy is sniffing around her hoping to get some action. I was a teenage boy once and acted like it for a couple hundred years after that. Open up your eyes and smell the hormones." Beetlejuice said and only got an angry glare from her.

"He's a good kid Beej, why can't you see that? They've been friends for forever."

"He's a boy and boys will always think about sex Lyds and if he even comes near to putting that thought into action with Kiera then I'll wring his scrawny little neck. As for the other," Beetlejuice said and sighed. "I'm really worried about Gwen. Why does she even want this boy to come over after what he has done to our family?" Beetlejuice asked.

"That is a good question Beej and I don't think we can come up with an answer until we meet him." Lydia said. She was worried about Gwen as well, what on earth could be so special about this boy that she would forgo almost all her ties to her family just to go out on a date with him?

"Mom, Dad we're home." Kiera called out.

"We're in the kitchen." Lydia called. She looked over at Beetlejuice who sulked some more and pointed her finger at him. "On your best behavior Beetlejuice." She said solemnly.

"Would I do any different?" He asked looking around, wide eyed and acting innocent.

"I mean it, best behavior." She repeated.

"Fine." He huffed. Kiera walked in with Tristan and Beetlejuice looked directly at the boy forcing him to look down at the ground. He got some satisfaction in that and smiled.

"Where's Gwen?" Lydia asked after she shot Beetlejuice a warning look.

"She went to go pick up…Bobby." Kiera said, his name sticking in her throat as she forced a smile.

"I don't see how you can vouch for that boy." Beetlejuice spat out. Kiera looked at her father and wanted to tell him that she hated him. That he was just one big stupid jock, but she couldn't. If she did then Gwen would tell her parents that she left that she had left to go see John and she'd get into trouble. Not only that, but Aunt Bella would get into trouble as well for taking her. She felt like she was stuck between a rock and a hard place and it made her sick to her stomach as she shrugged.

"He isn't that bad Dad, honestly." She said and tried to smile, but it fell quickly.

"I don't get it either Kiera." Tristan said looking up. Kiera looked over at him, one eye brow raised up, but she didn't say anything.

"Why's that Boy?" Beetlejuice asked. Tristan felt Kiera's father's eyes on him and he looked down at the floor again.

"It's just that, I mean you just don't seem to like him very much when you're around him." Tristan said to the floor. Beetlejuice didn't say anything, but shot his daughter a look. Kiera just shrugged, not really knowing what to say.

"HELLO? We're here." Gwen called out, preparing everyone for their entrance. Beetlejuice got prepared as Lydia watched over him with her careful eye.

Gwen walked in holding the boy's hand who looked nervous and scared. Beetlejuice smiled, apparently his reputation held some weight with the boy. He stared at him, looking him up and down and was a little surprised at his daughter. He looked like the all American boy, tall, sandy brown hair and a medium build. Probably was on the football team and got good grades. Beetlejuice was a little disgusted by him. The least Gwen could do was choose something different than the social norm like her mother and sister, normal was so boring.

"H…hello Mr. and Mrs. Juice." Bobby said looking at Gwen's parents. He felt like he was underneath a hot spotlight and began to sweat a little bit. Gwen's mother looked at him and gave a small, polite smile, but Gwen's father? He looked like he was ready to spit on him and grind him into the dirt. He looked over at Kiera who was looking down her nose at him and her friend was glancing back and forth between him and their father.

"You must be Bobby." Lydia said and smiled. He smiled at her and nodded his head. She seemed nice enough, Kiera looked a lot like her.

"Yes Ma'am." He mumbled.

"Isn't he polite Mom?" Gwen asked and smiled, holding him to her. Beetlejuice just raised an eyebrow and Gwen pulled her arms away.

"So Brian," Beetlejuice started.

"Bobby."

"Excuse me?" Beetlejuice asked one eyebrow rising.

"My name is Bobby, you called me Brian." Bobby said and quickly looked back down at the floor when Beetlejuice looked at him.

"Uh huh, well _Bobby_ You know Gwen from school?"

"Yes Sir."

"Are you on the football team?" Beetlejuice asked and Bobby's head shot up.

"Yes Sir, do you come to any of the games?" He asked, brightening up. Beetlejuice laughed at him and Kiera had to giggle behind her hand.

"Games? I don't think so Billy. I have a few more important things to do than go to little football games." He said. Gwen shot a look at Kiera, her eyes wide and pleading. Kiera looked over and sighed. She was enjoying her father's sarcasm.

"Be nice Dad, Bobby's a good player." She said neutrally. She wouldn't have known if he was or not, but it sounded like something nice to say. Beetlejuice just looked at Kiera and she smiled at him, but Lydia frowned at him and he cleared his throat.

"Right, well I was never one that was into those types of sports Ben,"

"Bobby." Lydia and Gwen said together.

"Right," Beetlejuice said. "Whatever." He added underneath his breath, but Kiera heard him and giggled softly. Beetlejuice gave her a tiny wink and smile.

"What were you into Mr. Juice?" Bobby asked, trying to be polite as he could.

"Why don't we sit down to dinner?" Lydia called out. Beetlejuice glared at Tristan as he made his way to sit next to Kiera and then shot a glare over at Bobby who took a seat next to Gwen. Gwen didn't know what was worse, her being next to her father or Bobby being next to him. She sighed and took a seat, sliding her hand underneath the table to hold his hand, giving him a reassuring squeeze.

Lydia shot a look to her husband and tried to get his attention. So much for being on his best behavior, but then again he hadn't used any of his powers so maybe he was on his best behavior. She groaned lightly at the thought of that.

Beetlejuice loved every minute of the uncomfortable dinner while Lydia kept shooting looks at him. He watched as Kiera and Gwen had their heads bent and focused on rolling their food around while what's his name shoveled in as much food as he could, diving in for seconds and thirds. He looked over at Tristan and saw that he was shooting glances at Kiera who was oblivious to him. He smiled to himself and thought of his little scheme that he had set up for the little punk.

He knew he was right about the creep, all he needed was the proof that he was correct so Lydia could finally see that he was right all along, not that he would throw that in her face. Well, maybe just a little gloating would be in order.

Bella walked into the crumbling mansion with all the determination she could muster. She wasn't afraid of him, he couldn't do anything to her and she was much more powerful than he could begin to imagine.

"JOHN?" She called out as she walked up the stairs, ready for battle.

John blew smoke out of his nose and smiled. He knew that she would be back, he just didn't think she would be here so soon. He had thought about her ever since she left with the little girl. He was disgusted that he'd let them in on so much of his past, it wasn't anyone's business but his own, but he had. Mainly because the little girl had a large amount of blackmail over him and he didn't want her calling her _daddy _to lay him low. He flicked ash as Bella walked into his bedroom.

"Back so soon Woman? Couldn't get enough of me huh?" He asked smiling at her. Bella frowned at him and shook her head.

"I need to talk to you." She said and sat down on his bed.

"Yeah? That your excuse to come and see me?" He asked.

"Lay off John, this is serious. B wants to come and exorcize you."

"So what? You came here to tell me that? Why?" He asked crushing his cigarette and walking towards her.

"I thought you should know. Maybe if you're prepared-"

"You think it'll make any difference Woman?" He hissed at her. "You think that _brother _of yours could give a shit if I pleaded or not."

"That's not what I-"

"Yeah it is." He interrupted.

"Quit interrupting me." She yelled at him, leaping off of the bed.

"I'll do whatever the hell I want to and there's nothing you can do about that." He said and smiled. He reached over and yanked her to him, bringing his mouth down on hers. She lightly pushed against him, but felt herself losing her strength again. "Told you." He said and smiled. Bella moved away from him, frowning and wiping her mouth.

"You didn't come here because you wanted to protect me. You came here because you wanted to see me again." He said still smiling at her.

"That's not true. B is really powerful, more powerful than you can imagine and he's unpredictable." She said.

"I know what he can do, he's killed me twice remember?" John said nonchalantly.

"You just don't understand, this is permanent."

"Why would you even care? If I'm gone who would give a shit?"

"I would, it's not right, even with everything you've done to Kiera."

"Believe in second chances do ya?" He asked. She frowned at him. What could she say? That she was interested and wanted to know more about him? She sighed and shook her head.

"No, I don't believe you deserve a second chance. You don't care about Kiera or what you've done to her."

"You're right, I don't care, but you're still here." He said. Bella looked at him and wondered why she was there. "You're interested in me." He said and smiled.

"What makes you say that?"

"You're here because you've lost something that you had. I can see that in your eyes Woman. I bring it out in you." He said and Bella smiled a little bit.

"What is it you think you bring out in me?" She asked throwing her head up in the air. He looked at her and smiled.

"You're a free spirit, wild and it was beaten out of you, your brother?" He asked, but Bella shook her head.

"No, B always loved my wild streak. I was just like him, well the way he used to be." Bella said and looked down. John looked at her and smiled. She was his ticket for his own self preservation. Her brother wouldn't dare hurt him if he was with her. He smiled and the gears began to turn in his mind. He needed to draw her sympathy out, make her want to stick around and keep coming back.

"You miss the way he was?" He asked and Bella looked at him in surprise to hear the sympathy in his voice.

"Yeah, I miss it, but he's a family man. He cares about his family now, which is good." She said and smiled.

"You don't have a family do you Woman? Want to join mine? It doesn't have the best past, but whose does?" He asked.

"No, I don't want to join your family." Bella said in disgust.

"I don't blame you, my history is shit, but you wouldn't want to hear that." He said and looked down. Bella looked at him and she could feel her heart going out.

"What happened? I mean besides what you already told me." She asked softly. He looked at him and smiled on the inside while keeping his face drawn and sad. Bingo.


	18. Caught

Yeah, I know about John, but what can I say? The guy just grew on the paper into the guy we all know and love. Well, not love, but definitely know ;) When I created the Devil's in the Details he was just some ominous character, then turned into the villain. In For Our Children, his role as the villain grew and he became evil. Now? He has grown up to be an evil, manipulative bastard of a character, but all guiys like that have some sort of shitty past and that's what makes John who he is. The fact that he knows that he can use that to manipulate pepole. I didn't know that until now. AND I wrote the Devil's in the Details in **_NINE_** days. So going back now I can see a lot of opportunities that I missed the first time because I was writing it so fast. I will be doing a major and complete overhaul of Devil's in the Details and expanding it way out. I will be making Beetlejuice's transition, much more gradual and I will be able to add John in a little more.

Also, I drew a picture of my version of Beetlejuice as a lion that I used in both Devil's in the Details AND for our Children. I think it turned out wonderful and I am extremely pleased with it. If you would like to take a look just go to my profile and homepage. That will take you directly to my Deviant Art website where you can check it out. If you do and you like it, let me know ;)

Thanks all my rantings now, enjoy and let me know what you think. I had a lot of f un with this chapter :D

Lacey

* * *

Bella watched John as he looked past her and out the window. She knew that he wasn't great, hell, he wasn't even close to that, but there was something in him that she could see. Something that haunted him and maybe if she could understand that, she'd know whether or not to tell B to exorcize him.

"I know I'm an asshole. I like being one too so don't get all mushy over that, cause that's not gonna change." He started and looked at her. Bella kept her mouth shut and waited for him to continue on. "You already know too much Woman." He muttered.

"Why did Lydia ever go out with you?" She asked and he smiled, a real smile.

"She was already broken when I met her. I knew that and could smell it from a mile away. She had something dark hanging over her and I fed off of it. She charged me and I think I charged her too. That is, until she found out about my little habits, she didn't like that. Of course, she really didn't see anything that I didn't want her to see. That was the beautiful part, she was blissfully unaware of what I was. I never let her in on anything."

"Why did you leave her when she was pregnant with Kiera?"

"Everyone brings that up, what does it matter?"

"It mattered to Lydia then and it matters to Kiera now." Bella urged.

"Do I look like the _daddy _type? Like I would be bouncing some brat on my knee?" He asked.

"No, but neither did my brother." Bella said. "People can change you know, look at B. He was a real hellion and now?" She smiled. Her brother would do anything to protect her, his daughters and his wife.

"Yeah well, isn't he just special. Like I said, I like being an asshole and that's never gonna change.

"You're just hiding the scared part of you. You don't want to be vulnerable." She said and smiled when he looked up at her.

"You're right on that Woman. That part of me died a long time ago, way before any of this ever happened." He said.

"It's sad that you think that, but I guess you'll always think that. I'm not sure what to tell my brother. Either you can end your suffering now and be exorcized or you can stay in the place that you've wrapped yourself up in and continue to rot." Bella said getting up. John looked at her and smiled.

"You think you can save me Woman? You just go ahead and try it. I'm sure as hell not gonna stop you, but just think about that little niece of yours. You save me and she finds out about that then what do you think is gonna happen?" He asked. Bella paused at that, she knew that Kiera would be crushed if she put John in front of her. She was confused and didn't know what to do.

"I need to think." She said and he just waved goodbye.

"Since it's clear you're not gonna put out then you go and think Woman. Let me know what you decide to do. I don't give a shit either way. Next time you come and see me I expect something else too." He said shrugged. He knew he'd saved his skin because she thought he was suffering more by staying here, He watched as Bella frowned at him and disappeared to go back home and think.

Beetlejuice frowned as Kiera pulled Tristan up the stairs.

"We really should study since you're already over here." She said. Tristan braved one look at Beetlejuice who just raised one eyebrow before he bolted up the stairs, almost knocking Kiera down on the way. Beetlejuice chuckled and turned to almost run straight into Lydia, who was tapping her foot, her arms crossed in front of her.

"What's so funny Beej?" She asked, her own eyebrow arching up.

"Oh, nothin'." H said and slid his hands into his pockets to look at Gwen and Bobby who were still sitting at the table. He heard Gwen laugh and lightly touch Bobby's shoulder which made Beetlejuice narrow his eyes as he waltzed into the dining room.

"What's so funny Gwenny?" He asked and Gwen's head shot up to look at her father.

"Oh Bobby was just telling me a funny story about when he was in football camp." She said and smiled.

"Really?" Beetlejuice said and sat down right across from Bobby.

"Do tell?" He said and smiled. Bobby gulped and watched as Gwen's father stared him down. Everyone at school told stories about Gwen and Kiera's parents, but now he could go and say that they were true. Gwen's dad was probably the strictest parent when it came to Gwen and Kiera. They hardly ever went out unless it was a large group of friends and as far as he knew Kiera had never dated, ever. There was a rumor going around that if you even looked at them funny their dad would do something to you. He thought of Derek and shook his head. He hadn't heard from his brother since he left. Not that Gwen's father had anything to do with it, Derek said he'd had a nightmare, but Bobby had no doubt in his mind that he would have done something.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom, I'll be right back." Kiera said, leaving Tristan in her bedroom. He just nodded and looked around. She had a huge mirror in the corner of the room, that was new, but it looked like Kiera's style. His eyes landed on her dresser, the top drawer. He knew that he shouldn't go rummaging around in her drawer, but there was just something about it that made him feel like he knew her better. He looked over at the closed door and back at the drawer. He slowly got up and glanced at the door again before he opened it up and started looking through her underwear.

Beetlejuice didn't bother to even attempt a laugh when Bobby was done telling his story and Gwen giggled all over again. He was beginning to wonder if she was even his and Lydia's daughter and not some other child switched at birth if this was the kind of stuff that she liked.

"Right, well…"

"Bobby."

"Right, I think it's just about time for you to get home isn't it? Don't want to walk in the dark do you?" He asked and Bobby gulped again.

"Oh Dad, couldn't we just give him a ride-"

"I'm busy tonight Gwen, he can walk." Beetlejuice said and watched as Bobby got up to leave.

"It was nice meeting you Sir." He said and Beetlejuice only raised an eyebrow. "I'll see you tomorrow Gwen?" Bobby asked and Gwen smiled and nodded.

"Oh you're leaving so soon Bobby?" Lydia asked and he nodded.

"It was nice to meet you Ma'am." He said and she smiled at him. Beetlejuice watched as he walked out before he glanced up at the top of the stairs.

"It's too quiet up their Lyds. Somethin' is goin' on." He said and frowned.

"Oh Beej, it's just Tristan." Lydia said and smiled.

"Uh huh, right." He said, keeping his eyes on the staircase.

"I can't believe you Dad." Gwen said, putting her hands on her hips. Beetlejuice was jolted by his daughter's sharp tone and frowned at her.

"What?"

"You were so…so mean to Bobby, not even remembering his name." She huffed.

"Hey that's a very forgettable name." He said. "Besides, how was I mean to him? I didn't pull any tricks on him. Your aunt would be ashamed of me right now." He said smiled as Gwen gave a humph and stormed up the stairs.

"She's right you know." Lydia said at his shoulder.

"Oh come on Lyds. I didn't do anything that any normal father wouldn't do." He said and turned to look at her. Lydia smiled and wrapped her arms around his chest, reaching up to kiss him.

"I never said that, but I suppose all fathers are like that." She said. He smiled at her and hugged her tightly to him.

Tristan stared in horror as he pulled out the boxers. They had been shoved all the way into the back, a pair of men's boxer shorts. He was furious as he held them up, not noticing that Kiera had walked back into her room.

"Is that your underwear? Gross Tris." She said and gave him a look of disgust. He turned to look at her, anger forming on his face.

"Whose are these?" He asked, his voice rising.

"What do you mean?" Kiera asked then looked beyond him to see her underwear drawer pulled out.

"OH MY GOD." She screamed, throwing her hand over her mouth.

Beetlejuice and Lydia heard their daughter scream and looked at each other in shock before they bolted up the stairs, Beetlejuice grabbing Lydia's hand and trying to conceal a smile.

"Who are you seeing Kiera?" Tristan yelled. Kiera just looked at him and shook her head. Her best friend was in her clothing?

"WHAT IN THE HELL IS GOING ON?" Beetlejuice bellowed when they reached the top of the stairs.

"I FOUND THESE IN KIERA'S DRAWER." Tristan said and Beetlejuice was shocked for a second at Tristan's bravery.

"He went through my things Daddy." Kiera said and threw herself around her mother's waist. Lydia held onto her daughter and looked at Beetlejuice, the warmness in her face now gone.

"You went through our daughter's drawer?" She asked and pried Kiera off of her handing her over to Beetlejuice. Kiera didn't even look up as she wrapped her arms around him. Lydia walked up and snatched the boxers out of his hands. She walked up closer to Tristan, getting within an inch of his nose. His anger faded away quickly when he saw how angry Kiera's mother was.

"She's seeing someone-" He stammered but Lydia cut him off.

"These are her father's. They were just mixed up in the wash." She hissed. "I vouched for you. I was on your side the whole time and my husband was right about you all along." She said, more angry than she had been in a long time.

"I…I…" Tristan really didn't know what to say. Not only had he been caught by Kiera, he had been caught by her parents. Lydia backed off and grabbed Kiera's hand, hauling her out of her room.

"You know what to do Beej." She said over her shoulder. Beetlejuice smiled at Tristan and rubbed his hands.

"It's Showtime Kid." He said and cackled. His plan had worked out better than what he'd expected it to. He reached around and grabbed Tristan by the collar of his shirt.

"But Mr. Juice." Tristan tried to explain, but Beetlejuice just held on tighter, lifting Tristan up on his tip toes.

"No buts Kid, I knew you were bad news. I just needed some proof." He said and opened up the door. Tristan was shocked at the strength of him, but he was too scared to say anything. Beetlejuice hurled him out and he landed with a thud on the grass. "If you ever come near my daughter again, you'll have to deal with me." Beetlejuice said and dusted off his hands, slamming the door. He turned around to see Lydia glaring at him, her hands on her hips.

"What?" He asked, unable to keep the smile off of his face.

"I do not do laundry Beetlejuice." She hissed at him. Beetlejuice just grinned at her and gave her a sloppy kiss.


	19. Disappearing Act

I caught a groove with the story and I was actually able to update! Yay! I'm really glad too because school starts on Monday so if I don't update as often it's because I've got school and work, but I'm hoping to update as much as possible, because I just can't keep my mind off of these stories.

Poor Tristan, getting caught, but then again, if he hadn't been rummaging around in Kiera's private things then it wouldn't have happened. And then to top it off Beetlejuice gets caught! Ya gotta love it!

Anyway enjoy and let me know what ya think ;)

Loves,

Lace

* * *

"What do ya mean Babes?" He asked still grinning. 

"You know exactly what I mean. I do not do laundry. That means that your boxers couldn't have possibly ended up in Kiera's room from the wash because there is no wash." She said deadly calm.

"Oh come on, do you think that I would actually do that?" He asked.

"Yes I do. Now what exactly did you do Beetlejuice?" She asked, narrowing her eyes. Beetlejuice looked at his wife and saw no hope for it. He sighed and smiled.

"I sort of…planted them in there," He said. "He wouldn't have found them if he hadn't been rummaging around in there in the first place, so I was right." He added quickly. Lydia sighed and shook her head.

"You're right, he wouldn't have found them, so now what do we do?" She asked.

"I already did it."

"You mean you aren't going to allow Tristan to come back over here because you set him up?" Lydia asked and began to tap her foot.

"Yup and if I can get rid of that Brad-"

"You know his name is Bobby, Beetlejuice."

"I do?" He asked and smiled.

"Yes, you do and you can't stop our daughter's from growing up." Lydia said and froze when the smile fell from Beetlejuice's face.

"One of them did Lyds." He said. Lydia sighed and walked up to her husband, wrapping her arms around him. He held onto her and sighed.

"Kiera might stop growing and aging, but she'll never stop growing up. We at least have to let her date." Lydia said. "She needs some sort of experience in love."

"Why do we have to do that Lyds? She's our baby and she'll always be that way." He said. Lydia wanted to argue with him, but at that moment Kiera was waiting for her to come back up to their bedroom where Lydia had placed her when she calmed down enough to figure out what Beetlejuice had done.

"Right now you're right Beej. She's in our room crying at the moment." Lydia said pulling away. Beetlejuice nodded as they headed up the stairs.

"What happened?" Gwen asked when she saw her parents walking up. She'd heard a lot of noise and Kiera scream, but she couldn't pull herself away from talking with Bobby.

"We'll talk about it later." Lydia said, dismissing her daughter.

"But-" Gwen started and saw her parents turn away from her.

"Goodnight Gwen." Beetlejuice called over his shoulder and heard his youngest daughter pout behind him. He rolled his eyes as they walked into their room and saw Kiera on their bed, huddled in the fetal position and holding her mother's pillow close to her.

"I just don't understand." Kiera said when she saw them walk in.

"There's really nothing to understand Kiera." Lydia said and sat down next to her daughter, putting her hand on her back and rubbing Kiera softly.

"How was there a pair of boxers in my underwear drawer?" She asked and Lydia looked at Beetlejuice. He sighed and Kiera looked at him, her eyes reddened from crying.

"I put them there." He said.

"What?" Kiera asked, barely above a whisper.

"I…I knew the kid was trouble and I put them there to see if he would find them." Beetlejuice explained in a rush of words. "He did and I was right."

"You…set Tristan up?" Kiera asked getting up to look at her father.

"What your father did was protect you." Lydia interjected, knowing how Kiera was going to take the news.

"You put your underwear in my drawer…to catch my friend?" Kiera asked, her tears melting away as anger came coursing through her.

"He would never have found them if he wasn't going through your things Kiera." Beetlejuice tried to explain.

"But you set him up Dad." Kiera said, her eyes narrowing. Beetlejuice felt helpless as he looked at his daughter, rage growing in her eyes. "I can't believe you did that. I just can't believe it." She said, the anger pouring out of her. Before Lydia and Beetlejuice knew it, she had disappeared.

"Did Bella get to that lesson yet?" Lydia asked, her eyes wide. Beetlejuice looked at her.

"I don't know. Where could she have gone?" He asked.

"Let's try Bella, hopefully she went there. Gwen, we'll be back later." Lydia called out before they disappeared.

"What?" Gwen asked. She walked into her parents bedroom to find it empty. "Great. No one tells me anything." She said to herself, then smiled. If she had the house to herself then she could call Bobby back over. She flipped open her cell phone and ran to her bedroom to change out of her pajamas.

Kiera blinked twice before she realized where she was. She had poofed herself and she didn't even know how to do that yet. She looked around and found herself in her grandparents house.

"Grandma? Grandpa?" She called out, not really knowing why she poofed herself there. She heard a wailing cry and looked up the stairs. "Aunt Barbara? Uncle Adam?" She called and started to climb the stairs.

Adam popped his head out of the attic when he heard a voice calling for them.

"Oh Kiera, what are you doing here?" He asked her and gave her a tired smile. Kiera smiled back at him and walked into the attic.

"I'm not sure how I got here. I got really mad at Dad and then, poof, I was here." She said and smiled as Barbara cuddled Carey.

"You got mad and poofed yourself here? Did Bella teach you that already?" Barbara asked and gently laid down her son when he calmed down. Kiera shook her head and sat down on their couch.

"No, that's the weird thing. I guess I got a flash of Grandma and Grandpa and just, got myself here." She said and shrugged. "Can I stay here for a little bit?" She asked.

"What happened?" Barbara asked and glanced at Carey. He had just stopped crying and the tears were still streaked on his face. "Maybe we should go out into the other room so we don't wake Carey up." She whispered.

"Good idea." Adam said. He might be a ghost, but not having sleep for practically months on end was starting to wear him down.

"Where is Grandma and Grandpa?" Kiera asked when they walked down the stairs to the living room.

"They said that they needed a break from the crying. I don't think Delia's ever been around a baby for more than a few hours before." Barbara said and gave a half a smile.

"So tell us what happened?" Adam asked.

"Dad doesn't like one of my friends and so he put his underwear in my drawer to catch him. Tristan found them and accused me of, I don't know what and I just can't believe that Dad did that." She blurted out. Barbara and Adam looked at each other and then back at Kiera, giving her blank stares.

"Why?" Barbara asked.

"Why what?"

"Why can't you believe it? It completely sounds like something Beetlejuice would do." She said and gave a little smile.

"If Carey was a girl I'd probably do the same thing if she was your age." Adam said. "Thank God I got a son." He said with thick pride.

"You would?" Kiera asked and blinked at him. Adam smiled at her and nodded.

"I know that I'm just a new father, but I can see where Beetlejuice is coming from Kiera. Think about it, you're his baby girl, so is Gwen. He'll do anything to protect his girls and Beetlejuice has never been one to play by the rules." Adam said. Kiera looked at him and sighed. He was right and she knew he was.

"Even though he is my friend?" Kiera asked.

"Doesn't matter, he's a boy and boys do stupid things when they're your age." Adam said. "Your father was one once and so was I, we know what goes through their heads and it isn't pretty."

"Don't be too mad at your father Kiera. Like Adam said, he's just protecting you." Barbara said and smiled.

"You're right Dad does fly off the handle...all of the time. I don't think I can figure out how to go home, so I guess I'll just have to wait here." Kiera said.

"You hungry? Let me fix you something." Barbara said getting up and rushing to the kitchen. Kiera actually was hungry, she didn't each much dinner, plus Aunt Barbara was one of the best cooks.

"I could use something Aunt Barbara." Kiera said and followed her into the kitchen.

"BELLA!" Beetlejuice hollered when the appeared in her living room. Bella jumped a foot into the air when she heard Beetlejuice's rant and sped down the stairs, knowing that something was up.

"What?" She called.

"Is Kiera here?" Lydia asked.

"No, why would she be here?" Bella asked.

"She was angry with Beej because he…we'll explain all that later." Lydia said, cutting herself off. "If she's not here then where could she possibly be?" She asked.

"She was mad?" Bella asked and froze. "Oh God, you don't think she…" Bella said and stopped herself. No, Kiera wouldn't have gone to John without anyone. Of course, if she was angry and thought of a different place, she'd go to that place, no matter if she wanted to or not.

"What Bella?" Beetlejuice asked. Bella looked at her brother and saw the panic and worry on his face and she couldn't take it.

"You don't think she went to John's do you?" She asked slowly.

"Why would she?" Beetlejuice asked, staring her down. Bella wanted to tell him, she did, but she just couldn't force herself to. Her brother was much to angry to be reasonable and she wanted him to be at least close to reason than he was now.

"It's just that, if she was angry enough to disappear she might have thought about him." She said and looked down.

"You don't think she would do that do you Beej?" Lydia asked, looking at him, worry clear on her face.

"I don't know. She could have gone that and if she is there I'm exorcizing his ass. It's long overdue anyway." Beetlejuice said a smile forming on his face as he thought about getting a few licks in before he exorcized John out of their lives for good.

"Is there any other place she might have gone to? Someplace…closer? That's an awful long way for a girl to travel without her having any knowledge of what she's doing." Bella said quickly, glancing at her brother's face.

"She could have gone to Dad and Delia's." Lydia said.

"Try there first, then if she's not there go to John's. It makes more sense that she'd go there." Bella said and avoided her brother's face as he watched her, one eyebrow rising up.

"We'll check there first." He said, hoping like hell that Kiera had gone there, for her own safety. He didn't care that she couldn't die, John could still do a lot of damage to her if he wanted to. "If she's not there then we know where she's at." He said.

"Good, let's go there." Lydia said and lightly tugged on Beetlejuice's arm. Beetlejuice gave his sister one last long look before they disappeared.

Bella collapsed on the couch after they had left and sighed. She hoped that Kiera had gone to her grandparents or else she'd have a lot of explaining to do, but the way Beetlejuice was looking at her she had a sinking feeling that she had a lot of explaining to do anyway.


	20. Out With It

It has been forever since I've been able to update this story, but I had some major writer's block and had to turn my attention to other things. I've been thinking about it a lot, especially lately and I was finally able to sit down and write something for it.

I am going to TRY to keep on top of this story as well as my other stories, but with school, work, interning, not to mention getting ready to graduate and moving. I don't have much time to devote to writing, except for blurbs here and there so I don't forget them.

Anyway I hope you enjoy :)

Lace

* * *

Kiera had dozed off on the sofa after Barbara had given her a sandwich and they just looked at her and smiled. 

"She's grown up so much that it's sad to see that she'll never get any older." Barbara said and Adam laced his fingers with his wife's.

"It is sad, but it looks like she's become okay with it. She's still learning and there's still a lot more to learn." He said and Barbara nodded. She opened her mouth to say something, but Beetlejuice and Lydia appeared before them.

"We were wondering when you were going to get here." Barbara said and smiled. Lydia let out a sigh of relief and smiled.

"She's here then?" Beetlejuice asked.

"Over there." Adam said and they turned to see a sleeping Kiera.

"Oh thank God Beej." Lydia said and rushed over to wake Kiera up. Kiera blinked at her mother and yawned.

"I'm sorry I got mad Mom." She said, stretching.

"Don't worry about it, but you scared us something awful." Lydia said, hugging her daughter tightly to her.

"I wonder why Bella jumped to the conclusion that Kiera would go to John's?" Beetlejuice asked, more to himself than anyone else.

"Aunt Bella thought that I would go there? By myself?" Kiera asked and Beetlejuice turned to look at her.

"Yeah, it was the first place that she mentioned. Do you know why Kiera?" He asked. Kiera looked down for a moment before she met her father's eyes and shook her head, not saying a word. She knew that she should probably tell her mother and father, but she just couldn't make herself betray her aunt.

"I don't know Dad." Kiera said and Beetlejuice sighed. He knew that Bella and Kiera were hiding something from him and come hell or high water he was going to find out what it was. Lydia helped her daughter up and held on to her with a fierce grip. Kiera had scared the afterlife out of her and she never wanted that to happen again.

"Come on and let's go home." She said and Beetlejuice nodded. Kiera smiled up at her father, but he didn't return it. Her smile fell as she felt the overwhelming guilt about lying to her father. Beetlejuice sighed and smiled down at his daughter.

"We'll get it all figured out Kier. Just don't scare us like that okay?" He asked her. Kiera looked up and nodded and he squeezed her until she squeaked. Lydia reached around to lace her fingers with her husbands and they disappeared before Barbara and Adam's eyes.

Beetlejuice, Kiera and Lydia appeared in the middle of their living room and all three of their jaws dropped as they watched Gwen and Bobby on the couch, Gwen practically in his lap.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Beetlejuice roared as he saw them and Lydia glanced up at her husband.

"Beej, calm down." She warned, but he was already furious. Gwen and Bobby jumped away from each other and looked up at them. Gwen felt all the blood drain out of her as she looked up at her father and saw him furious.

"We were just…" She started, but couldn't think of a lie fast enough and her voice died in her throat as he stared at her.

"Room…now." He seethed, doing everything in his power not to completely destroy Bobby.

"But Da-" Gwen started, but her father was too gone to hear her. He pointed his finger at Bobby.

"You." He hissed, but Lydia reached out to grab his arm and yanked him around to look at her, grabbing his face so he couldn't move.

"Beej, focus." She said staring straight into his eyes. Kiera grabbed Gwen and shoved her up the stairs knowing that their father was more angry than he had ever been in their lives.

"Leave." Lydia commanded while still focusing on Beetlejuice. He stared into her eyes, focusing on her while Bobby slipped out of the door, terrified at what Beetlejuice would do to him.

"You have to control your anger or you will alert everyone to what we really are. Now, take a deep breath and calm down Beej before we deal with this." Lydia said as calm as she could. The last thing any of them needed was for Beetlejuice to explode and having to figure out a way to explain it all away.

Beetlejuice stared down at his wife's deep blue eyes and knew that she was right. He inhaled deeply and let out a shaky sigh before she let go of his face.

"I'll kill the boy." He said.

"No you won't, we'll deal with this just like normal parents would and that doesn't include turning into some animal to scare the boy so bad that he dies."

"Hey, if normal parents had that power then they'd do it too." Beetlejuice pointed out and Lydia just looked at him, not having an answer right away. "First Kiera now Gwenny? I don't think I can take much more of this." It wasn't fair to have two daughters and boys that wanted to be with them. Why couldn't they have just stayed five years old forever? He could have dealt with that, but now teenagers? It was more trouble than it was worth.

"We can't do anything about it Beej, so we might as well accept it."

"I don't have to accept it, I'm their father." He said and Lydia couldn't help but laugh.

"It's really late and now that everything's calmed down a little bit, let's go get some rest. We have a lot to discuss and I don't really want to do it now." Lydia started pulling on his hand, trying to get him to head upstairs with her.

"I think I might need to stay down here and think a little bit longer."

"Oh no you don't. I know what you're thinking and it's not going to work." Lydia said, giving him a hard tug. "You won't have me go upstairs and you go wandering off to torture that boy."

"Who says I was gonna do that?" His eyes widened up at her response.

"I say you're gonna do that and I've been with you long enough to know." She said pulling harder on his arm.

"I promise I'll just be down here thinking." He said and held up his hand to salute her.

"I don't think so Beej, besides, if you come upstairs with me, I promise I'll make it worth your while." Lydia smiled at him through her lashes which made his eyes nearly cross.

"Babes, how can you even think about that at a time like this?" He asked as he started to walk with her. Lydia shrugged and smiled, leaning in to kiss him.

"I have been married to you for twenty one years. You were bound to rub off on me sooner or later."

"I can deal with that." He said smiling, letting her lead the way up the stairs to their bedroom.

Beetlejuice laid in bed, unable to sleep and listened to Lydia breath deeply beside him. He smiled down at her and kissed the top of her head as she slept. Even after being married to her for twenty one years, he still loved her just as much as the first time he realized he loved her. They'd been through so much together and they'd held strong, but she just didn't understand what it meant to him to have two daughters. They were his pride and joy and he never wanted them to get hurt, he'd do everything in his power to make sure of it.

His mind drifted to Bella and the guilty look she had when they'd left her to find Kiera. Something was up with her and Kiera knew what it was. It hurt him to see his child lie to his face, but he understood the loyalty she had with her aunt. He wouldn't punish her because of that, he just wanted to know what it was and he was going to find out.

"Grounded?" Gwen asked staring at her parents, her eyes narrowed.

"You heard me young lady, you should be lucky that I didn't let your father lose control last night." Lydia said, her own eyes narrowed and her arms crossed over her chest as she stared down her daughter.

"How come Kiera isn't grounded for whatever she did last night?" Gwen asked, pointing her finger at her older sister.

"That's not your concern Guinevere." Beetlejuice said and saw Gwen wince when he called her full name.

"It's just not fair Dad." She stomped her foot on the ground and ran to the stairs. "Why don't you just let me grow up." She yelled as she ran to her room. Beetlejuice just shrugged as his youngest ran out of the room to pout.

"She should be lucky that's the only punishment that she's getting." He muttered and turned to Kiera, narrowing his eyes at her. "Lessons with your aunt are cancelled today so I suggest you go upstairs to do homework." Kiera looked at him in question and glanced over at her mother, but neither of them changed their looks and she sighed, nodding her head and followed her sister up the stairs.

"What's going on in your mind?" Lydia asked.

"I'm going to find out what Bella and Kiera are hiding, even if it kills me." He muttered and gave his wife a kiss before he disappeared. Lydia stared at the spot where her husband had been for a long time before she turned to head upstairs to talk to her daughters. Beetlejuice was right and they were hiding something, but she wasn't really sure if she wanted to know what it was.

Bella was waiting in the living room when Beetlejuice arrived, she knew that he was going to come back sooner or later and she prepared herself for it. He was determined to get her meeting with John out of her and she really didn't want to keep it from him anymore. It made her feel guilty enough for just going, but keeping a secret from her brother was unbearable.

"Bella." He said and she nodded.

"Hey B, I figured you'd be back." She said and sighed as he sat down.

"Spill it." He said sitting down next to her. Bella didn't bother to pretend that she didn't know what he was talking about, it was time he knew.

"You've gotta promise me that you won't say anything until I'm finished B."

"I promise nothing Bell, tell me." He crossed his arms over his chest and waited for her.

"Fine, a while ago Kiera wanted me to go with her to John's. She wanted to face him, thinking that by facing him her bad dreams would go away. I encouraged her B, I know I probably shouldn't have, but I knew that she was blocking something. I just wanted to help her." She dropped her head and waited for the inevitable explosion from her brother.

Beetlejuice had kept his tongue while Bella had talked and he was furious, but he knew that there was more than just that or else she wouldn't have kept it a secret for so long.

"What else Bella?" He asked her, doing everything he could to keep his voice as neutral as possible. She glanced up to look at him, his voice unusually calm and saw that he was trying to control himself around her, which made her feel worse.

"She did confront him and she got the answers that she needed. She realized that he wouldn't change and on her own she understood that she was stronger than he was. I was proud of her. He tried to throw insults at her and I dealt with him B, I wouldn't let her get hurt."

"Why didn't you tell me and Lyds all of this before?"

"I knew that you'd want to exorcize him."

"Yeah and I'm not changing my mind about that. You should have told me Bella."

"Kiera needed to confront him B, you know that as well as I do. To truly unleash what she's got she needed to discover what she'd been repressing for all those years.

"She wasn't repressing anything, she was a happy kid, I made sure of that."

"You're her father, you don't see everything B. With Kiera and Gwen both, you've got a blind eye. Kiera needed to see John and she can use that to keep getting stronger. Gwen needs to understand that she isn't just the baby of the family, she's rebelling B."

"I appreciate you're concern Bell, but this is my family and I'll do as I see fit for them. I better go let Lyds on everything that's been going on and you'll see the girls next week." He said and before Bella could argue with him, he disappeared.


End file.
